Starbooks
by LoveTypeThing-SureTypeThing
Summary: Naomi and Freddie own a book shop. And then they meet the neighbours.  Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hulloooo! To the Back-Burner you go dissertation!**

**Please enjoy :)**

Starbooks

_The Move_

"That's the last one Freddie!" the lithe bottle-blonde haired woman sirens down the stairs of the shop. She hears her best-friend let out a strangled exclamation of glee at the prospect of having nearly finished unloading the numerous boxes of books as well as their earthly belongings from the moving van. Not a scratch on how excited she feels right now, to be moving into this gloriously modest building in London that she can finally called her livelihood, her home.

Well, _their _livelihood, _their_ home she notes with a face-splitting grin. She jogs up the last of the stairs, grin firmly still in place, _I bet I'm always this happy now,_ she bounds into the room at the end of the corridor where she has already started unpacking, _my new room! _She squeals with delight and does a happy little dance on the spot when she looks around again at what she'll soon make her own. Even without most of her tasteful bohemian decorations unpacked, the room looks homely to her, especially loving the large window that looks out onto the street at the shops opposite, allowing illumination of her room with the life-renewing rays of the afternoon sun.

She's still giddily flailing around opening warm wooden drawers and vintage wardrobes when her tall tanned friend stops in her doorway to laugh handsomely and roll his eyes her.

The sound causes the slender blonde to turn around and just giggle more, doesn't care she probably looks crazy, it's only Freddie.

"This is so ace! I can't believe we're _actually_ here, we've _actually _done it!" she beams, "the shop is fucking mint, I reckon we proper ripped him off"

"Tell me about it" he laughs, "I mean it looks as though it hasn't been used for a while, but its got that cool, neglected-underdog-alternative vibe to it" he gesticulates with the tilting of his hand side to side.

The blonde cross-between sniggers and scoffs at her friend, wiping the serious look on his face, "You're such a dick Freds!"

"Oi Fuck yourself Naomi Campbell! We've bought a vintage shop in the middle of Camden to turn said shop into, and I quote... "the coolest, quirkiest most precious book shop that every hot, interesting, worth-knowing person in the whole of London will cream over" you cant say that to me and then have me think all you're really here for is the dusty old books that you might sell to anyone who might have the misdirection to stumble in this stuffy place and buy one you?" imitating Naomi in a high-pitched, exaggerated east London accent. _Horrific_.

Naomi thinks it's hilarious when Freddie gets fake-worked up, "No…coffee too." She says simply, trying not to smirk.

Freddie just looks at her confused and then expectant. _Please, do elaborate._

"We're gonna sell coffee in this "stuffy place" too." She smiles brightly, cocking her head to the side and slaps his arse playfully as she walks out of her room to inspect the likely mess he's made downstairs in the shop.

Freddie just yelps and follows his friend downstairs. Used to it.

Naomi and Freddie were sharing a much, deserved break after cleaning their new shop for three hours. Naomi had shrieked at Freddie to put the boxes in one corner for now instead of taking things out of them, she insisted on them cleaning the shop and living rooms top to bottom first.

They were both sat on their wall outside of the shop smoking and drinking coffee, (Naomi did however allow the kettle, caffetiere, mugs and ground coffee to be unpacked). The pair was chatting softly, soaking up their new neighbourhood in the late afternoon.

"So where were you thinking of putting the coffee stand?" Freddie pipes up,

"Bar. The coffee bar shall go near the far wall on the right, so it's the first thing you see when you go in" Naomi states, cool blue eyes decisive, "as well as, you know, the books" she adds smiling sarcastically.

Freddie makes a thinking noise and scratches his five o'clock shadow. Naomi bites her lip, "If you don't like it we can put it somewhere else, or think of some other gimmick entirely, I though you liked the idea…" trailing off her own worried rambling when she sees Freddie standing up and backs up a few steps to the huge but filthy window on the front of the shop, starts to write on it with his finger, single lines wiping away accumulating dirt and grime until he steps back so Naomi can see what he's written.

_Starbooks._

Naomi's eyes go wide as plates and she gasps loudly at her friend, "That's perfect!" she stands up to hug his skinny frame tightly, "alright, alright, gerr'off!" he jokes. She sits back down on the wall with a huge smile on her face. Freddie joins her, "Not just a pretty face after all am I?" he jokes.

Naomi bumps his shoulder with hers affectionately and goes back to admiring the area in comfortable silence.

This was _them_, their perfect place. They could live how they always wanted to here, _happy, free, whole. _They could mend and repair their new haven, just as she could already feel it was starting to mend her.

It was half past nine on a pleasant summers evening, Naomi was walking down an unfamiliar street, the residual warmth from the tarmac after a day's baking was hugging her still bare legs, she hadn't felt the need to change out of her jean shorts and old band-tee combination after her and Freddie had to decided to call it a night on the unpacking front and spend the rest of the evening getting shit-faced as a moving-in celebration. She hadn't changed because they decided to stay at the shop, smoke as much spliff as humanly possible and drink all the alcohol they had. However, forgetting they had run dry on the latter due to it being preferential payment for letting them borrow their friends van, is the reason why the blonde hopefully is scanning the sides of the street for any sign that an offy might be open.

She comes to a cross-roads and peers around, sure enough she notices a corner shop fully-lit and looking very available for custom. Naomi carefully crosses the road and pushes the slim glass door open, a cheery _ding!_ When she passes through. She has a quick look around and spots a large wine section, heads straight for it, her arms practically outstretched in anticipation.

She stands in front of the larger than average wine selection for a corner-shop, she notes impressed, and ponders her decision for a few seconds when she's interrupted by a cheery voice beside, startling her somewhat,

"Hiya! Can I help you with anything?" a bubbly, blonde pig-tailed woman, about her age, asks, practically bouncing up and down at the prospect of maybe getting to give her, Naomi doesn't doubt, the best customer service ever.

"Er no thanks, its ok. I'll be done soon" she replies politely.

"Whizzer!" The girl skips back to her original place behind the counter, but continues to stare at Naomi, a huge zaney smile on her face.

Naomi turns her back to continue choosing wine, pursing her lips to a downward smile shape, trying very hard to burst into laughter. She eyes the prices briefly but decides _fuck it_ it's a special occasion and starts taking bottles off the shelf, _one red for me, one white for Freds, another red for me, another white for Freds_, she continues selecting like this until she's walking back to the counter, carefully carrying eight bottles. Before she attempts to put them down safely the friendly shop assistant reaches across the till to pluck a bottle from the bundle in her arms and smiles widely scanning it,

"Bonkers!"

Naomi just smirks and lets her take another one.

She vaguely registers someone else enter the shop _Ding!_ When she's artfully trying to fit the eight bottles into a cotton grocery bag she brought with her. She unconsciously decides to move the bottles and her bag onto the floor, in case they need to use up the whole of the counter for wine too. Amidst her concentration she hears the excitable blonde woman address the newcomer,

"Hey Emsy! Wowza you look stockin' as usual, you 'n Eff goin' on the town?" the woman behind the counter asks. _She's so weird_ Naomi thinks.

"Yeah Panda, we are, just popped in for some fags, Eff's waiting in a cab."

Naomi swears an electric current just swam through her entire body. She swears she's just heard the sexiest voice ever to belong to a woman on this planet. She wastes no time in looking to see who the owner was. From her position crouched on the floor she whips her head up along with the hair out of her eyes and is not disappointed. What she thought was only going to be a quick peak at her probably turned out a lot longer, and pervier. She couldn't blame herself when Naomi's current position meant her eyes had to travel all the way up strong but feminine, perfectly toned legs in tiny black shorts that joined magnificently to the cutest arse she'd ever seen, _bite-able, _she bit her bottom lip very slightly and continued gazing at a beautifully petite girl with perfect arms and breasts and a creamy neck. Naomi's eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets and her mouth suddenly lost all moisture when she saw a shock of sexy long cherry-red hair framing the most beautifully delicate face. _Fuck me._

Naomi tore her eyes away like she'd been burned, and she did feel like her blood was on fire. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was jumping up her throat to get out, increasing her sudden feeling of needing to be sick even more. _Calm down please, for the love of Godess! She's just a fit girl. You've been with plenty of fit girls before…but she's really, really fucking fit! _Naomi tries to talk herself down, thinks she's acting irrationally. It's new to her this feeling, thinks people call it nervousness. Makes her feel worse.

Then with stupendous timing Panda the shop assistant remembers Naomi hasn't paid yet and will probably be finished packing her wine away,

"Oh! That'll be thirty-three pounds and sixty-seven pence, please, by the way, thank you!" she exclaims rather rushed.

_Oh shit I have to stand up now and look completely red in the face and probably stammer and act like a tit and that's IF I don't throw up first!_ Naomi feels extremely sorry for herself because she doesn't understand what's happening to her, she doesn't _do_ flustered in front of people. She feels like she's been forced to do something she doesn't want to do. The injustice of it is pissing her off. Naomi hates injustice.

Naomi inaudibly sighs and slowly rises, just in case the sudden giddiness she's experiencing makes her fall over. She thinks she might be right, her legs feel like jelly. The red-haired girl steps away saying, "sorry, didn't know there was anyone here." Naomi can feel her staring at her.

Doesn't look at the red-haired siren near her, instead she purposefully keeps her head down and fumbles with her purse. She manages to open it but seeing the contents inside makes all the blood from her head rush down to her toes. _Fuck! I don't have enough!_

"uhh…Shit. This is really embarrassing" she stammers, _why me? Why now? Why the fuck do I care? _"I only have twenty-five and I have literally nothing on my card" she apologises, quickly thinking of possible solutions, thinks she must look a little desperate and disheveled.

"Look I'll get the rest, it's no problem" she hears a husky voice offer beside her, she's more concentrated on the fact that the owner had also placed her soft light hands on her own that were tipping her purse upside down for any miraculous hidden money, Naomi felt her skin tingle at her touch, it felt amazing and she finally looked up from the contact to become drawn in by the most beautiful, inviting chocolate brown pools she'd ever seen. She would have gasped if the air hadn't been completely sucked out of her. _She's so beautiful_, she had the most kissable, full, cupid's bow lips and an adorable button nose that suited her so well, her sharp but feminine features seemed only to accentuate her exquisite neck and shoulders.

No sooner had she realized that she'd been staring at the girl for quite some time without saying a word, Naomi realized the girl had been staring back and she swear she caught her licking her lips slightly. The thought made her blush furiously (again) but she still couldn't say anything, she physically couldn't form words, _ugh you look like such a freak!_

She was saved by Panda, "It's OK it's only a couple of quid-"

"No!" the red head nearly shouted, making Naomi stare at her again, "I mean, I'll get it Panda. I insist." She said firmly at the zaney girl and then turned her head to look at Naomi, her eyes were sparkling with something she couldn't place but it was enough to give her the courage to kick her brain into gear.

decided to acknowledge the goddess next to her, she must have seemed really fucking rude until now.

She clears he throat, "you sure?" she asks eyes still very much wide and jaw on floor. The girl looks at her seriously, "very."

She casually hands the remainder of the fee to Panda plus that for her cigarettes and catches the packet of Marlboro's that Panda throws for her before turning on her heel and determinedly exits the shop without another word or a glance.

Naomi is left feeling completely out of sorts, like a tornado just ripped through her life, jumbled everything up and fucked off without an explanation or apology. _What. The Fuck. Was That? _

She notices her heart beat slowly return to normal and is thankful, her face feels cooler and her stomach less sick. She leaves the shop with no residual marks of her encounter with the beautiful-girl-who-bought-fags except an oddly fuzzy brain that insists on repeating every nano second of the ordeal back to her in excruciating and embarrassing detail. She shakes her head a few times on her way home to try get the red out of it. And the brown. And her lips…

"What took you so long?"

"Just got held up is all",

A cherry-haired girl replies to her friend as casually as possible, trying to hide the shake in her voice. Trying to hide a plethora of feelings, mostly to herself. She sits beside her in the back of a taxi-cab and puts the pads of her thumb and forefinger on her eyelids, trying to shut out all the pale blue.

Her brunette friend beside her squeezes her knee, "y'alright Ems?"

The red-head opens her eyes and takes the hand on her knee and squeezes it back, "Lets get fucked up yeah?" They both grin wickedly, "Do lets" the brunette replies looking out of the cab window as it pulls away, watching for a small while a tall blonde girl walking down the opposite way, shaking her head a little.

**Reviews would be lover-ly :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! The feedback for this story was great! Everyone loves Naomily right? :P**

**I'm quite busy at the mo but I eventually got this done and I hope it was worth the wait! Please enjoy.**

"Nai, turn it up, this is a fucking tune!" Freddie bounces up and down even more energetically than he was before, his lanky legs stuck together as he moves making him resemble something like a pogo stick. Naomi comes back from pouring herself another generous glass of red wine from the pile of boxes still in the corner that is their make-shift bar for the night, there were only a few full bottles left standing unceremoniously on top of their boxed belongings.

"Alright keep your vagina on, I'm doing it" she quips, swaying drunkenly towards the iPod dock and increasing it's volume. Figures out that she's very drunk now as the world seems to spin before her eyes, however she decides she doesn't care and joins Freddie, starts bopping her head along with him but moves her arms and legs more freely, sporadically around the empty shop space. The tempo of the song increases as it hits a chorus and Naomi is surprised she noticed the change she was that drunk, even so she ups the energy in her movements to the song, dancing a bit faster trying to catch up. The new-found vigor in her flailing arms however only serves to make her spill wine all over herself and for Freddie to laugh manically in her face,

"Hahaha! You're soooo mashed!" he howls and points an accusing digit at the blonde.

"Fuck off Tosser. Don't care. I'm a grown-up. In my grown-up shop" she gestures, flinging her arms to the side and twirling unsteadily, motioning to the space around them that they now own. She doesn't notice that she spills yet more wine everywhere. She continues, slurring impressively, eyebrow raised,

"I can do whatever the _fuck_ I like!" she says loudly, wanting to be heard over the music.

Her t-shirt feels wet and sticky, doesn't like the uncomfortable way it clings to her body. She concludes that she will feel much better if it were gone, so she bends down to put her half empty glass on the floor and then straightens up, pulling the t-shirt up and over her head, flinging it anywhere so she's standing in nothing but jean-shorts and a royal blue bra.

Freddie notices and claps his hands together energetically,

"Weeeyyy! Get yer tits out for the lads!" he sings jokingly. He's seen it all before, even though they've never slept together, they're too close friends and she's not his type.

That and Naomi's well gay.

Naomi picks up her wine glass and gives Freddie a look of mock disgust, she knows he's joking, being ironic even because apart from herself, Freddie is the biggest feminist she knows. Despite her knowing full well he was joking, her inebriated state thinks it's only fair that got his "tits" out too, so she hurls the liquid from her glass straight at Freddie's chest and laughs like a villain at look on his face.

"Aww what? You're so evil!" he's grinning however, and takes his drenched shirt off too, "Woo naked party!" he howls spinning his shirt above his head. Naomi is laughing hard with him, clutching her sides and they continue to dance the night away, occasionally spilling wine on each other, on purpose or otherwise, just enjoying the freeness, no rules here. She can't remember the last time she had this much fun, _not that I'll remember it much in the morning_ she notes dryly.

A little while later Naomi and Freddie are outside at the front of the shop, Freddie had brought and armchair out earlier and was now sprawled languidly in it, smoking a small joint, sometimes passing it to Naomi who was lying on her back on the wall, now drinking wine straight from the bottle.

It was in this moment of peace, when she was gazing at the night sky, finding a single small bright star rarely seen in the ruddy London canvas that she was reminded of an equally stunning beauty she discovered today in similarly murky circumstances.

She lets out a long sigh, feeling deflated again. She'd forgotten about her _ordeal_ as soon as they'd started celebrating. But now thoughts of the beautiful red-head, _with a fantastic body,_ are niggling away at her insides. She thinks she might die if she doesn't vocalize all her worries, hopes and theories.

"I met a Panda today", she slurs, trying very hard to sound coherent,

Freddie frowns and tries to figure out her meaning, but comes up short, decides to just ask, probably quicker this way,

"What are you on about?"

"She works in an offy down the road, proper loopy Bird, but friendly." She says simply, not realizing to complete lack of sense she's making to her friend.

"Right." Freddie gives up trying to interpret her words, but makes a mental note to not let her smoke anymore tonight.

Naomi bites her bottom lip, struggling with the decision to continue with her story, whether or not she should mention to Freddie the beautiful red-head, or how she made her heart beat a thousand times a second and that her gorgeous brown eyes have been scorched into the back of hers.

"There was…" she clears her throat, decides what to say, "There was also this really fucking _fit_ girl, Freds." _Actually Freddie, she's the most magnificent creature I've ever seen and makes me act like a complete dildo._

"Yeah? What's her name? What does she look like?" he asks, sitting up from his slouched position in the chair, eager to hear what Naomi has to say,

"I didn't get her name, she wasn't there long and I didn't really speak to her." She omits the highly embarrassing "conversation" she had with the girl, couldn't be arsed with Freddie taking the piss out of her.

"But she had this hair-"

She is cut off by the sound of two young women clicking with their high heels along the pavement across the road from them, giggling loudly and quite under the influence.

Naomi sits up to have a look; her natural and innocent curiosity peeked. The girl on the right, closest to the road is tall and thin, Naomi thinks her dress is far too short but she looks like a rock chick anyway, all heavy jewelry and heavy eyeliner, she thinks it suits her. The girl has her arm linked with another that she can't see yet. She cranes her neck and takes a swig from her bottle.

"Hey ladies! Care to join the naked party!" she hears Freddie call from beside her, who is standing now with his arms wide and then pointing back and forth between himself and the blonde. _Oh yeah, I'm still shirtless. Ah well_ she mentally shrugs.

The girls giggle harder but are already slowing down to loiter in front of what appears to be their shop, they're trying to find keys in their bags but they turn around and the other girl steps out to the side of her friend to look at who propositioned them.

And that's when Naomi's stomach falls out of her and flops down the drain.

_It's her!_

She watches, still as a statue as the red-head stops all of a sudden and seems to sway too much and grabs on to the tall girls' slim arm, steadying herself. She's looking back at Naomi, an un-readable expression on her face. It all seems very quiet now and she can barely hear the taller girl mutter something to her friend, enquiry in her tone.

The red-head doesn't break her gaze with Naomi for what seems like an eternity, but she finally snaps out of it and looks a little lost. She hurriedly turns around and opens her front door with vigor, leaving the door wide open for her friend, Naomi can see into the house now and watches the red-head bolt up her stairs, thinks she hears a distant slamming of a door.

The girl who is still outside stares at Naomi, a small challenging smirk on her lips. She then turns her attention to Freddie who seems to have lost all drunken bravado and is as quiet as a mouse, his mouth hanging open. A look of awe.

The tall girl chuckles maybe deviously and saunters into her building, closing the door with one last look at them both.

"Woah." Freddie states at last, and slumps back into his chair, scratching his chin.

Naomi says nothing for the moment. She's still a bit dumbstruck that she saw the girl _again_ at all, never-mind that she lives across the road from her.

"Dibs on the tall brunette Naoms" he chuckles. She's brought back to reality, her racing thoughts melt away, decides to join in on the fun. "I dunno Freds, they looked a little close to each other if you get my drift" she teases. _God I hope the Red-Head's gay!_

"Oh man, I can't decide if that would be the best thing or the worst thing in the world. If I, Freddie McClair lived on the same street as three gorgeous lesbians, getting to witness the _friendliness_, but then being around two gorgeous girls I can't get friendly with, leaving you with all the fun." He shakes his head chuckling.

"Well I guess we'll both have to see won't we." She offers. She smiles at him cheekily, she grabs the spliff off him before he has time to protest and takes a long drag, blowing the smoke in his face, "C'mon, boring Twat, we're still celebrating!" She gives it him back and heads inside.

She's back two seconds later with more wine and carrying a large white plastic sheet, she throws it to the floor spreading it out quick as a flash and Freddie's can't help but let out a groan of exasperation.

"You brought fucking Twister with you? I thought I got rid of that bloody thing in 3rd year!"

"Nope I rescued it!" she announces gleefully but quickly starts to scold Freddie, "You should have thought about burning it or something instead of simply shoving it in a recycling bin where any idiot could have found it!"

"That idiot being you then?" he retorted good naturedly.

"Har fucking har Tosser, you're fucking playing this with me for that" she threatens and Freddie has no choice but to comply.

To say they played a drunken game of Twister until the sun came up and the birds sang would be an understatement. They played and rolled around like idiots until the booze and spliff ran out. High on life and various other stimulants, Naomi returned to lying on her wall, Freddie his chair and they only stopped laughing and reminiscing about the funny things they'd got up to together when they physically couldn't stay awake anymore.

* * *

><p>A young red-haired woman is sitting on her front steps with a freshly brewed coffee cradled in her hands. She is staring across the street at a scene that she thinks is probably inappropriate at 9am on a Saturday on a busy London shopping street. But she thinks it is also incredibly funny, and cute.<p>

She's watching a beautiful, lithe blonde woman sleeping half naked on a wall across the street from where she lives. She notices her limbs are arranged perfectly to show off how stunning she is, she's hypnotized by the gentle rise and fall of her chest and how it somehow makes her feel peaceful. She knows she feels something around the blonde, but only now, when she isn't so close to her, when she can watch her freely does she feel calm.

She continues to watch her like she's watching her favourite TV show, there are no implications or consequences of her interest in the girl right now because the blonde doesn't know she's there. The red head feels It's sort of just them right now, like they are together but it's nice because no one can spoil the feelings she gets from looking at her because they haven't tainted anything with a proper introduction or meeting. No one has spoiled it yet by getting to know them, for now they have their connection, that the red-head hopes the blonde feels too.

On the one hand the red-head feels safe for not knowing the blonde yet, but there's a powerful rising urge to get to know her, to want to know everything about her. The red-head is very aware of this desire and knows they will likely end up meeting each other properly, probably becoming friends, but she wants to hold onto this untainted idea of her for a little while longer.

So she does, and she continues to watch her from her front steps.

After a while and a disgusting cup of coffee later, _Effy never buys the right stuff!_ The red-head decides it's not very neighbourly to continue to allow appalled people to walk past the blonde on the wall with disgusting words and looks ejecting from them. _It wouldn't be great start for business_ she notes and crosses the road towards to sleeping beauty to introduce herself at last and be ready for whatever disappointments people usually give her.

When she is about a foot away from her she chastises herself for thinking it was a good idea, especially now, as when she's this close she can see every erotic detail of the blonde's upper body. Her delicately toned stomach, the curve of her ribs and hip, the fullness of her breasts and smoothness of her skin. _Oh god and now you're going to have to touch that skin if you want to wake her up from her wine coma…_

Naomi does indeed look dead to the world, rosy lips slightly parted, soft breaths coming out, her head turned to the side exposing her pale neck. The red-head slowly reaches a hand out in an attempt to shake her shoulder to wake her up. She contemplates kicking her foot or something lower down, but she sighs, steeling herself and roughly grabs the blondes shoulder shaking it to wake her up. _Probably should have been gentler but fuck knows if I'd been able to stop_.

Naomi wakes up too suddenly and upon seeing the red-head of her dreams standing above her feet away, the shock sends her body flipping and rolling off the wall with a scream and onto concrete of the outside of their shop.

The red-head watches mortified, and peers over the wall calling, "Oh fuck! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"

Naomi is far too dignified to remain on the floor after a fall that spectacular, especially seeing as a cute red-head sounds desperate to see that she didn't in-fact really fucking hurt your knee. She pops up from behind the wall a split second after she feel as says brightly, "Yeah I'm fine, don't worry!" She leans against the wall, disguising her use of only one leg to hold her upright, her other leg not up for the task just yet.

The red-head looks relieved but blushes all the same. Naomi decides to ease her distress, "Well that was embarrassing…again!" _Balls, she probably doesn't remember me._

"Don't be silly, it was my fault! I thought I'd wake you, people can get quite abusive around here!" She looks at the blonde obviously, pointing out she nearly-nakedness and the wine bottles scattered everywhere, and finally Freddie asleep on the chair with his mouth hanging wide open, with the Twister sheet wrapped around him like a blanket.

"Oh shit, yeah, thanks." It was Naomi's turn to blush, looking at the state she and Freddie were in.

The red-head thinks that it's adorable, hopes she doesn't think she disapproves massively. _I just wanted an excuse to talk to you, you're so beautiful._

"Heavy night then?" the red-head continues. Naomi doesn't know whether to grin like an idiot or dismiss her politely out of nervousness, _She's talking to me, we're having a conversation! Argh!_

She reckons she's probably a bit drunk still, which would account for her confidence right now when she replies jovially and opens up the possibility for more time talking to the girl.

"Yeah we were celebrating our move here, we're starting a business, it's a selling books and coffee kinda thing". She motions behind her to the shop, _Starbooks_ still written in the dirt.

"Sounds cool, Effy and I own a shop too, across from you, there" she turns and points to the house Naomi saw them go into last night, only now she's sober enough (ish) and it's light enough to read.

_Through the Looking Glass._

Naomi can see mannequins in the window dressed in clothing from different eras. She also sees the brunette from last night helping a customer. _Must be Effy._

"It's a vintage clothing shop" Emily states when she sees Naomi looking.

"It looks lovely" Naomi says truthfully, thinking when would be an appropriate interval after this meeting to have a browse, maybe bump into her again…

"You should pop in some time, perhaps help you find –" she coughs pointedly and looks Naomi up and down "-_anything_ to wear?" she finishes cheekily with a wink.

Naomi blushes spectacularly and folds her arms across her chest, which only served to make Emily blush again, and look away, biting her lip but smiling.

"Yeah thanks, I will. I do _own_ clothes, promise" she laughs and makes Emily join in. _Wow, her laugh is amazing._ She wants to make Emily laugh again but she also wants to play it cool, even after falling off a wall half naked still holding onto an empty wine bottle. _Christ, I'm a catch. _

After the red-heads laughter dies down, she seems to remember something, "I'm Emily by the way." She holds her hand out for the blonde to take, ready for the spark, decides to watch her face to see if she feels it too.

The blondes heart flutters and her eyes nearly close, _Emily. So perfect._

She clears her throat, "Hello Emily, I'm Naomi." She says slowly and deliberately, testing it out. She then meets her hand with her own and feels her skin buzz all the way up her arm.

They both smile at each other for longer than necessary and the mood shifts to slightly awkward. Naomi tries to rectify it straight away, but Emily beats her,

"Well I should get back to the shop, help Effy 'n that…" she trails off and looks like she's struggling with what to say next, "but welcome to the neighborhood, can't wait to see your shop when its done!" she smiles again taking a couple of steps back.

"Thanks very much Emily, see you later" Naomi smiles and looks down at her shoes, trying to hide her red face again. _She's called Emily and she's beautiful and she's friendly and she's cool_, she lists in her head almost childishly.

She looks up slightly to see Emily walk away smiling with a small wave and a simple "bye!"

Naomi turns her body around to hide her stupid grin and release a breath she hadn't realized she been holding for so long. She feels positively ecstatic.

She kicks Freddie awake and laughs at his monstrous grumbling.

"C'mon lay about! I'm off to get dressed and when I get back we're cleaning this shit hole and getting ship-shape for business!" She says impossibly cheerily.

Freddie looks at her with jealousy and confusion, then buries his head in his hands taking deep comforting breaths whilst croaking, "Ugghh why aren't you dieing like me?"

Naomi holds her head up high, "I'm just not is all!" beaming while she skips inside to put some clothes on, unconsciously deciding longer than usual on what to wear today.

**Did you like it? Did you not? Why? Any comments are greatly appreciated just lemme know you're reading it :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**The following understatements apply to this update:**

**I am sorry it's so late.**

**Up until recently exams had taken over my life.**

**I am a little rusty. I may get my tenses mixed up(?)**

**Please enjoy every one, updates will be hopefully a little more regular!**

A stressed blonde young-woman pauses from placing some old books with slight aggression onto worn shelves by the distinct sound of a rumbling transit coming to a halt. She looks up and out of the window and sighs loudly. _Finally!_

"Freddie! The useless fuckers are finally here with our lovely brand-new coffee bar!" She sings loud enough so that her friend, housemate and business partner can hear her.

He was sat at a desk upstairs sorting some final things out with the council and the bank, brow furrowed in concentration but stands when he hears Naomi call and bounds down the stairs to see for himself that indeed their coffee bar has finally arrived, a week late. The process of getting their book shop-come coffee spot ready and open to be perused and used by their clientele has been slow and delayed and stressful, all because their key ingredient _the actual coffee_ has been MIA because of _that arse-hole _who's stepping outside of his van right now.

It had taken Naomi a full seven days of ringing their supplier every hour from nine until five asking him when he was dropping it off, when he will be ready and reminding him he is still late. Her patience was wearing extremely thin, it had been hard to be excited about seeing their rented space metamorphose into the shop of their dreams. Each book they'd lovingly placed and each piece of furniture they'd carefully scoured for and arranged in the shop were transforming their lives more and more into what they had aspired it to be. It had been hard because they wanted to be ready as soon as possible and open for business. Funds were diminishing rapidly but above all else Naomi felt that if the shop wasn't ready, she wasn't ready, she had been stuck in some sort of awkward limbo and she was itching to burst out of the shell and reveal herself to this brand new world she'd found.

When Freddie arrived at her side they both exited the shop to inspect the annoying man's cargo and help him with carrying it inside.

"Hi there," she greets the balding man, trying to keep her tone civil, even though he'd increasingly pissed her off with his tardiness and sheer laziness in her eyes this past couple of weeks.

"You made it!" she drips with sarcasm, completely lost on the bald man however. "I'm Naomi and this is Freddie. And this is our business" she points behind her to the shop window; now decorated with pretty swirls of mocha-brown and gold making _Starbooks_ look professional yet approachable.

The man just grunts and walks to the back of his van and open the double doors. He reveals a lot of large equipment covered in bubble-wrap and polystyrene, held together with brown parcel-tape. In a surprisingly sprightly manner the bald man jumps into his van and starts to untie the large equipment from the van walls where they were securely fastened.

"Il just untie it all and then we can start carryin' it inside" he says with a thick cockney accent that has irritated Naomi down the phone all week.

She surprised herself (pleasantly) with the way she handled the lazy man, usually she approached such situations with apathy, she used to think that instances where other people had cocked up were not her responsibility and its just the way things went, people were crap. But having her ring their supplier everyday and in the process making herself more and more pissed off until she finally screeched down the phone to "Stop fucking us about anymore!" is a testament to how passionately Naomi cares about her baby and how desperately she needs it to work. Tossers be damned!

Herself and Freddie have been running around like a couple of blue-arsed flies the last couple of weeks, in between trying to get the bar organized and the shop clean and presentable and sorting out the business accounts, they would try to promote the shop in anyway they could. They've had a "coming soon" sign outside the shop for a while now and they would hand out flyers to shoppers all over Camden whenever they had a spare hour, sometimes having a chat with locals and spreading news of their business that way. It had also, obviously, crossed Naomi's mind that perhaps **some** of the **local** shops wouldn't mind having a poster up of _Starbooks_ in their establishments somewhere, or a few flyers stacked on their counters for people to take interest in. She had mentioned this to Freddie around a week ago also and he had said that he was about to suggest the same thing. Which led to them both casually volunteering to do the tedious chore of asking Emily and Effy at _Through the Looking Glass_ if they would mind awfully helping them promote _Starbooks…_

"_It's ok Fred's I don't mind going, you can stay and finish trying to make the sofas not smell like Granny's." she sheepishly suggested to her friend, who perhaps looked just as excited and eager at the potential prospect of going across the road to see Emily and Effy._

_He put down his bottle of Frebreeze and straightened his back saying "No no no, __**I'll**__ go, you have to go to the bank today and I don't mind helping you out with this one little thing," he reached out towards the stack of fliers in one of Naomi's hands, but Naomi pulled away quite abruptly. Looked at him sternly, _

"_Freds, seriously I don't mind. And besides I know them better than you, I've actually spoken to Emily. Twice". She tried not to smile at the memories of the adorable and gorgeous neighbour. __**Good job at acting indifferent to the hotties across the street you dickhead**__ she internally chastised. _

"_Well then I obviously need to be introduced, we are __**partners**__ Naomi. I have as much interest in promoting this business as you do" Freddie retorted, __**not to mention as much interest in one of the girls across the street as you do **__he thought. "Alright fucking hell, I'm not bothered if you come or not, lets just fucking go and get it over with!" she shoved a poster into his hands and hurried out of the shop door, looking flustered and feeling stupid. Freddie chuckled to himself and followed his pride-bruised friend out of the shop and ran to catch up with her._

_They were now both outside Effy and Emily's shop and Freddie swore he heard Naomi take in a deep breath before she opened the door and stepped into the vintage clothes store. _

_It was the first time either of them had been in the shop, despite Emily's invitation a couple of weeks ago. Naomi had already practiced an excuse to give to Emily, she would simply say they had been far too busy which would keep her non-chalance, too cool and calm air about her intact and also her sense of manners. Naomi would thus be denying the real reason to her possible incivility; that she was just so damn nervous and flabbergasted around the red-head and hated being so. She feels she doesn't handle herself well around Emily, like all control is ripped away from her and flung into the next galaxy. _

_She has rare moments of courage when she actually wants to talk to her face to face and get to know her better (today being one of those moments). They are usually inspired when she will spot out of her bedroom window, the beautiful red-head walking back from a food shop and notice that she not only buys her produce from the local market but also brings it home in organic recyclable bags. __**My perfect woman**__ she would sigh from afar._

_Naomi had been encouraged to visit Emily's shop today, armed with flier-excuses and busy-apologies because she had looked just so utterly beautiful walking home in her summer dress when Naomi had seen her whilst loading crap into a rented skip. Naomi had stopped what she had been doing and waved back when Emily had shone her a radiant smile and a friendly wave of hello. That was when she made the decision to talk to Emily again and be uncomfortably yet wonderfully close to her once more. As Naomi had walked back into her shop and decided on the right plan of action and armor to go over there, she thought herself resembled somewhat like a vulnerable moth that was attracted to a dangerously bright flame. __**A sexy flame.**_

_Minutes later and now in the belly of the fire, as it were, Freddie and Naomi took a cautious and curious look around the clothing store, which was empty for the time being and they thought that maybe the owners were in the back of the shop temporarily and they silently hoped either Emily or Effy would show themselves soon so they could get this ordeal underway- __**"like ripping off a band-aid".**_

_They were not disappointed and the torturous waiting game was ceased when Effy appeared, slithering through a beaded curtain doorway behind the cashiers counter with a look of curious surprise on her face upon seeing her elusive neighbours from across the street._

_Effy was the first to speak, "Well Hello you two, this __**is**__ a nice surprise. I've been hoping we'd finally meet properly soon. I'm Effy." Her voice was cool and calm as well as her general appearance and aura. Her thin lips were smirking at Naomi similarly to how she had done the first time they saw each other on the night of Naomi and Freddie spontaneous wine binge and celebration. Her perfectly crafted eyebrows flickered an arch over her too-cool-blue eyes as if searching into Freddie and Naomi, however only to satisfy all the intrigue about them she harbored and Naomi felt there was nothing sinister to Effy, this relieved her enormously. Effy intimidates her she realised and it would make being around Emily all the more difficult than she already found it._

_Freddie stepped immeasurably forward and stretched out a strong tanned hand towards the waif-like girl, "Hi I'm Freddie. Me and Naomi own "Starbooks" across the road," he suddenly blushed when she accepted his hand for a moment, maybe from the contact but probably because he thought the name of their new livelihood was cheesy and lame all of a sudden. Naomi saw this and felt annoyed at Freddie and frowned. __**Don't you dare become ashamed of our life just 'cos a beautiful girl makes you feel inadequate.**__ Before she had the chance to rescue his bumbling, Effy replied with a small amount of mirth, "Clever. I like it." Freddie smiled like all his Christmases had come at once. Naomi rolled her eyes subtly and turned away. She left them chatting or least Freddie running his mouth whilst Effy smirked up at him. Naomi took the opportunity to take a turn about the shop and soak it up._

_Naomi noticed it was very classy but cute. Vintage leather briefcases were intelligently dotted around the place were bursting with ties, handkerchiefs and headbands of all colourful description. It didn't look like fancy a dress shop for retro eras like some vintage shops fall into being, Naomi thought. Each piece of clothing looked like it was carefully chosen and thoughtfully arranged to give a feel that anyone can find what he or she is looking for in "Through the Looking Glass", there was something perfect for everyone._

_She walked around with her mouth slightly open and pale blue eyes wide, they're attention was caught despite the surrounding beauty, and Naomi walked towards her target in a trace-like state, mesmerized by what her eyes were fixed on in that moment. The material felt like fine sand slipping and falling though her fingers. It wasn't too over-the-top but was elegantly gorgeous is a simple way, this effect was achieved by the sexy open back and the front would tantalize the imagination in a classy way. She took in the long summer dress with astonished eyes and drank in the mix of blues and whites and turquoises exquisitely blended together to create the perfect piece for Naomi. She HAD to try it on. _

_She picked up the garment that hadn't actually looked like it had a proper place now that she thought about it. It was the only one not on a rail or on an old mannequin. It was sort of just out, hooked onto a worn out wardrobe that displayed hats. It was like it was waiting for something, or someone._

_Naomi saw that Freddie and Effy were still talking so she decided it couldn't hurt to slip into a changing cubicle and try on her amazing find. Besides, Emily had told her to try and find something, anything to wear. She grinned at the memory of the husky red-head. __**Where is Emily anyway?**__ Naomi pulled the curtain to for some privacy and proceeded to take her off her mainstream TopShop skirt and tights off and her H&M blouse, smirked at the thought of her very "un-vintagey" clothes. Unbeknownst to Naomi, Effy had watched her skillfully the entire time she listened to Freddie and nearly burst out laughing in amazement when Naomi chose the blue maxi dress. __**My God Ems, you ARE good. **__She also spotted Emily lurking near the stairs that go up to their rooms, she thought Emily must have been there a while too watching Naomi because her face looked a mix between gleefully smug and aching adoration.____Effy grinned and shook her head, before going back to giving Freddie her undivided attention._

_Emily descended the rest of the way down the stairs and tried to stop her hand from shaking because her heart was beating that fast. She was so ecstatic and overwhelmed that Naomi had chosen THAT dress. The dress that she picked out from their entire stock the moment she got back from seeing Naomi on the wall that day. She'd held it up and scrutinized and bore the butterflies swirling within her when she had closed her eyes and imagined the blonde looking effortlessly elegant and stunning in it. Effy had asked who it was for when she noticed her hanging it up in an unusual place, like it was being reserved. Emily had simply just replied rhetorically to her friend, "Who do you think Effy?"_

_It took a lot of self-restraint not to pull the curtain back and reveal Naomi to her. She walked slowly towards the cubicle but halted when she heard soft rustling, the unmistakable sound of Naomi undressing. She blushed and turned her back to it. Eventually she heard the curtain rails jangle and she took a deep breath before turning and greeting Naomi. _

_She looked into the blondes face, flustered with the efforts of undressing and dressing again. Sought out the pale blue eyes like a lifeline and smiled when they connected. Her smile grew larger when Naomi reciprocated with a shy gorgeous smile. "Hey Emily" Naomi offered._

"_Hello" she said brightly, by this time Emily has completely forgotten to be disappointed Naomi hadn't exited wearing the dress that was perfect for her, instead felt elated she was in her shop at last and talking to her again. _

_Naomi cleared her throat and tentatively walked towards her, "I-I love this" she gestured to the dress draped across her forearms and held to her sternum._

"_Yes. It __**is**__ beautiful. Fantastic choice." Emily looked seriously at her for a second before safely adding, "I'd pegged you for a granny or jock chic kinda girl though". Emily winked at her and pointed around the room to the displays of various tasteful retro looks and let Naomi jokingly roll her eyes, move past her and stand near Freddie. _

_Emily moved her head and body to follow her with her eyes and remembered her manners, "How are doing Naomi?" she asked with a diluted amount of interest than she was actually feeling. Naomi responded with theatrical exhaustion, "__**Really **__busy actually, yeah, that's why we haven't been to look in here sooner," she looked genuinely sorry and added, "I can only apologise."_

_Emily opened her mouth to speak and placate the blonde when Effy interrupted as she had spotted them so near, "Ah Emily, you're here. This is Freddie, Naomi's partner" she said devilishly, "Freddie meet Emily __**my**__ partner". Freddie shook Emily's hand as well and said "Nice to meet you at last, heard lots about you" which made Naomi give him her most evil glare that only he could have seen. __**You are soooo dead later!**__ Freddie quickly recovered, "Uh yeah __**Effy**__ said that you two got this place straight after you both left college at eighteen, that's err… that's great"._

"_Thanks, it is… err… great" Emily replies. Naomi was too busy imagining a Freddie shaped effigy to notice they were all looking at her expectantly for her input, "Yeah, I agree, so…great." __**Fucking hell this is so awkward. I'm intelligent and witty and read…books! Why am I incapable of holding a decent conversation right now? **__ The group was silent and looked around the room for inspiration and tried their best to ignore the awkward silence out of politeness._

_Naomi was saved from a more than likely disastrous self-rescue attempt when Effy did it for her, "So Naomi, Freddie was telling me your hoping to open up soon, how long do think until your ready? I hope it's all going smoothly." ___

_Naomi juggled the dress in her arms and placed a free hand to the back of her neck before she replied and caught Emily's gaze every now and then, wanted to engage her too, "we should be finished sorting everything out and open in about a week," she laughed sarcastically, added, "fingers crossed that we get our coffee bar in the next few days, or you know, this century! Our supplier is ridiculously late with it unfortunately" Freddie laughed too and made an irritated noise he associates with their unprofessionally lazy supplier. _

_A strong husky voice commanded their attention suddenly, "That's a shame that he has to hold you up like that. It's annoying having to rely on other people in the first place, they can so easily disappoint you." Emily had folded her arms across her chest defensively and her eyes blazed with something hard and bitter. Effy looked at her friend and raised her eyebrows questioningly, which made Emily blush and look down at her feet. She raised her head again with her lips pushed tightly closed together as if making sure she didn't speak again for a while._

_Naomi was only slightly taken aback by the red-head's out burst and found herself agreeing with her, "Exactly! I've always thought that if you want a job done properly, you have to be prepared to do it yourself." She then gave Emily a reassuring smile as if to say __**it's ok, I understand.**__ At least, she hoped that's the message she got across. She realised she didn't like seeing Emily without a smile on her face. She smiles so beautifully._

_Freddie had taken it upon himself to lighten the mood, "Aw cheers Naomi, nice to know all my back breaking work is appreciated!" he said good-naturedly and made all four of them laugh. Naomi's heart fluttered at the sight and sound of Emily's. _

_Naomi remembered the fliers in her hands under the dress and clumsily retrieved from them from her bundle, she cleared her throat, "So meanwhile we've been trying to promote ourselves as much as possible and I made these in anticipation…" she handed Emily and Effy a flier each and tried to pluck up the courage to ask them her and Freddie's planned favor, __**Oh my God, what if what I'm asking them is really rude?**__ She didn't have the chance to drop their plan because Freddie asked them for her, "We were wondering if you could keep a couple of these in your shop? To, you know, help us bring in a bit of business?" __**Christ, he used the word "help". He's asking for help from people we barely know. **__Naomi couldn't help but feel immediately embarrassed and possibly…weak? Was that what she had felt? They'd come here for a fresh start, a stake at independence and a chance to reinvent themselves. She couldn't help but feel at that moment that the sense of control she'd been gaining steadily since their move was being compromised, not only because herself and Freddie had seemed to slip back into their old ways, which was making her feel slightly angry and attacked right then but also because of the way she is around Emily. She felt like she's cornered by the way she feels about her, and that she needed time to figure all these things out. __**This isn't going to plan, why am I suddenly pissed off?**_

_Emily thought she could sense the blonde beauties discomfort and was quick to reassure her in the way she thought she could right then, "Of course we will! I'll put them on the counter so people can see them easily and have a browse," Emily took a stack of fliers off her and walked around to the counter and arranged them a few times until they were just so, allowing optimum visibility for her customers._

_Naomi noticed Freddie about to reveal their poster and ask them to put that up too, but Naomi nudged him in the ribs hard and quickly and sook her head, indicated with her desperate expression that asking them to put a bloody poster up too would have been taking it too far and Naomi might have died of embarrassment. Freddie got the message and coolly hid it behind his back. _

"_They're cool, who designed them?" Emily asked picking up a flier again and poured all over it. "I did," Freddie smiled. "Ooh quite the artist" Effy drawled and smiled at him, making Freddie's day._

"_It's really kind of you both," Naomi said whilst she only looked at Emily who had put the flier back on the stack with concentration and was back to looking at her, "I'm sure we can arrange some sort of discount for you at the shop as thanks," Naomi said cheekily. _

"_Brilliant, we'll be looking forward to it, won't we Eff?" _

"_Can't wait." Effy dryly replied._

_Having sensed a lull in conversation and a rapid progression to another awkward silence, Naomi decided that it was time herself and Freddie got back to work and she reminded herself that she really did need to go to the bank at some point that today. She didn't especially want to leave Emily's company, at all in fact. But she knew slow and steady is the way to go to secure their possible future relationship… friendship. _

"_Well we should really be going, tons left to do today, but it was lovely to see you again Emily" she tried to put as much honest sincerity in her voice as she told Emily that she had to leave and felt an odd warmth when Emily looked genuinely displeased that she was going. "But I'd really like to pay for this before I go," she said as she placed the dress lovingly on the counter in front of Emily and realised she's hadn't been this close to her since their morning a couple of weeks ago. Just then, Emily's wooden wall of her counter replaced her own of stone that she was behind that day, "it truly is a beautiful dress. And your entire shop for that matter, it's lovely. It's a lovely place." _

"_Thank you Naomi, but I insist that the dress is free of charge." Emily said seriously into Naomi's pale blue pools. Neither Emily nor Naomi noticed in their moment that Effy squeaked with surprise, actually caused her to cough a little. _

"_What? No! I couldn't. You've already done me a huge favor and… oh fuck! I forgot I already owe you money from that time-" _

_Emily sensed Naomi was becoming more and panicked and uneasy so she quickly remedied her probably too forward advances, "Okay okay! Will you at least accept twenty percent off?" she practically begged her with her soft brown orbs._

_Naomi visibly relaxed and really didn't want to seem ungrateful so accepted the twenty seven pound charge and sheepishly took the bag made out of recycled paper with the dress in that Emily handed her over the counter with a cheery smile. Naomi said a cheery a goodbye and practically dragged a sulking Freddie out of the shop, but stopped when she heared Emily call, "Don't be a stranger Naomi, call on us whenever you like." Naomi nodded, smiled at Emily's hopeful face and then waved goodbye before exiting "Through the Looking Glass"._

"_You do realise you practically let one of our three hundred pound dresses just walk out of our shop" Effy was quick to turn to her red-headed friend who had a crushing far away look in her eyes. Like she had just remembered she had lost something precious to her long ago._

"_Yes Effy, I am extremely aware" she replied, nervous under the intense scrutiny of her best friend. Effy threw her hands in the air and busied herself with one of the displays whilst Emily looked at a "Starbooks" flier again, "Good, was just checking to see I hadn't gone crazy" Effy said sarcastically. Emily just smirked and thought about Naomi and wondered if she had scared her off already. It had been a long time since Emily had wanted to make new friends, let alone wanted someone to want her._

"_You're the one nutty for Naomi. You are so getting me coffee everyday for a month." Effy mock chastises Emily, "Although it's not going to be much of a bloody punishment after your little stunt today, now that the woman you're infatuated with owns a bloody coffee shop across the street AND has given us bloody discount!" she said the last word in an uncharacteristically high voice._

_Emily smiled at her friends' rant and bit her lip when she blushed at her words. "I swear you bloody plan it all sometimes Emily. But you're still getting me coffee. Every day. And paying for it."_

"_Understood." Emily replied, smirking like her life depended on it._

It is with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief that Naomi wonders how the three of them are going to manage bringing their bar into the shop with out dropping something or more worryingly dropping something onto themselves.

The bald man had detached all of the straps securing the bar in the van and is now directing Naomi and Freddie to get closer and hold this bit and that bit until eventually telling them to "one, two, three, lift!"

Naomi had never been a gym in her life but she still wasn't expecting to find lifting the bar this difficult, even with two other blokes helping. They manage to effectively place the largest part of the bar out of the van and onto the pavement. She is already breaking a sweat on her brow.

Breathing heavily and stretching her arms in a way she was sure she was doing it wrong, she spots Emily come out of her shop and place a large bin bag into the wheelie bin outside. Emily sees her and waves, with an Emily smile. Naomi only waves back and afterwards tries to hide behind the equipment on the pavement. She briefly sees the crestfallen look on Emily's beautiful face and watches with a tight chest as Emily walks back to her front door.

Watching Emily walk away from her feels so awfully unnatural and…wrong that before she knows it, she's pulled herself together, listened to the advice pumping through her veins from her brutally honest heart and steps out into the street calling as loud as she can,

"Hey Emily!" and she decides to not be a stranger anymore.

**Phew! I am so pleased that I got this done, I feel amazing for it. I love writing, and I love your reviews and comments so please write me one :D They please me so.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi hi hi hi hi hi!**

**Sorry if this is crap, I needed to get this one out before I go on a trip for two whole weeks. I plan on getting a ton of ideas down etc so I hope the next chapters will be of better quality in the future!**

**I will also plan another chapter for my Keffy fic too **

**I love every single one of you who read this, review it, favourite it etc, you make me happy! Simple as. :D**

**It's unbeta'd cos I'm tired and so full of cold. Wah.**

**Please enjoy you wonderful lot.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Hey Emily!" and she decided not to be a stranger anymore…<strong>

The redhead turns around, her heart fluttering with anticipation, She watches with sweaty palms; Naomi's long arms beckoning her to come over. Naomi is actually inviting Emily to spend time with her; a very rare occasion and Emily doesn't hesitate in grinning like an idiot and bounding across the street into the proverbial arms of the beautiful neighbor.

They have barely seen each other never mind spoken to each other since the day Naomi and Freddie had surprised her last week by coming into her shop. Emily generally hates surprises, however surprises involving Naomi, are nice she discovers. Those surprises she could definitely get used to.

When she reaches the blonde she can see that she has a slight dewy sheen to her skin, making her chest and arms glisten wondrously. Emily quickly scans the surroundings, seeing the large miscellaneous objects taking up the pavement and the space outside of _Starbooks._ She can't help the warmth that floods her suddenly (even in the hot weather today) or the biting of her full bottom lip, **Oh I see; she's been lifting things…** Emily wonders like a scholar at the sheer genius of the situation, Naomi in a vest top, lifting things, and getting sweaty.

Emily tries to think of something to say, if she could stop perving for long enough. Her first thought when she sees Naomi is not only "I want to fuck that girl", she also just likes being with her, whenever she gets the chance.

"What's all this then?" Emily asks brightly, very neighborly-like and gestures to the numerous and various sized objects covered in protective bubble wrap.

"**This!**' Naomi proudly and excitedly gestures to the medley of objects, "is our Coffee-Bar!" she clears her throat and gives a murderous look to a bald man chatting idly to Freddie. "Oh, so it _finally_ arrived!" Emily says loud enough for Freddie and the bald man to hear. Naomi lets a loud laugh rip from her but as quickly as it took hold of her she tries to stifle it, looking shy and a little guilty as she glances at the bald man, who looks a little appalled.

Naomi puts her arm around Emily without thinking about it and whilst still laughing puts a finger to her own lips and turns Emily around as if to silence her as well as saying "Shhh! He heard you!"

Emily; buoyed by the sudden and intimate contact she replies and grabs Naomi's brilliant hands away from her lips, "Good! It's appalling the way he treated you and people like him need telling!" but she is laughing too. Emily calculates there was about a nano second of her holding Naomi's fingers whilst Naomi had her long arm around her shoulders and their smiling, shiny eyes were locked with one another. That was until Naomi retracts her arm and fingers and moves away to Freddie smiling slightly. To Emily it _felt_ like longer, like she'd spent an entire summer's afternoon in an opposite life than this one, where her and Naomi were in each other's arms all day, telling each other they loved one another.

Naomi stands next to Freddie and declares, "We like this one Fred's, we should keep her around" and winks at Emily like a boy. And Emily's heart aches.

A gruff voice cuts into the moment, "Are we taking this lot inside or are we going to stand outside like lemons all day?". Naomi rolls her eyes at the irony of the bald man. Emily is about to open her mouth, probably about the massive hypocrisy Naomi is being subjected to but Naomi shoots her an amused warning glance which makes her bite her tongue.

Emily, instead walks over to one of the smaller packaged pieces and bends down in order to start carrying it inside, Naomi is quick to interrupt her waving her arms in a "stop!" motion and starts, "Emily, wait that ones _really _heavy, you can't-" she stops short when she watches mouth wide open, that quickly goes dry with amazement (and arousal, lets be honest) when she witnesses Emily effortlessly pick up the package with her arms alone, toned biceps gorgeously emerging as she curls her arms and holds the weight to her chest. Emily softly grunts and flashes a wicked smile at Naomi before she carries it inside.

It was safe to say Naomi was not expecting _that._ She could count on her left hand the number of things she wasn't expecting just then. She knew Emily had subtly muscular… nice arms, but she never expected her to be that strong. Additionally she did not expect to be so turned on by this fact. Naomi had not expected to instantly adore the way Emily's biceps bulged under her creamy-white skin.

She had not expected to think that Emily's arms were her new favorite things in the whole world. She would worship them if she could.

Naomi was never one for gender roles, like butch and femme et cetera, in fact any outsider with such opinions of her previous relationships would say that Naomi was the "Butch" because she's always gone out with women slightly more feminine than her. Coincidence obviously and maybe it was just the way she carried herself in the world, she was always so coarse and guarded.

But watching sweet, cute, petite, feminine Emily lift something that had required Freddie AND Naomi to carry out of the van earlier did things to her that she couldn't even put into words. _**The things she could do to me!**_

By the time Emily had come back from depositing her package, Naomi realizes she had been standing stock-still ever since she witnessed Emily's surprisingly/erotically powerful body in action and had not done anything to contribute to the work effort. With this in mind and the need to act like she was unfazed by Emily's sexy display, she dashes to a larger package and makes to pick it up.

Now Naomi is no fool, and does not see the point in competing, not when she realistically knows mind, body and soul that she cannot possibly compete with Emily in strength (now!) and any attempt to do so would maker her look petulant and childish. Not a good look, she surmises. Therefore Naomi plays the hand she was dealt with and calls Emily over, "Emily, could you help me with this please?" Its good to look humble she thinks, just as modesty looks good on Emily. "Absolutely!" Emily says eagerly. Naomi watches her bend her knees on the opposite side of the package and get a good hold of it before instructing her to bend her own knees and lift with them, so that she doesn't hurt her back. It does not escape Naomi that Emily did not seem to patronize her. Naomi appreciates this.

Naomi notices when she is this close to Emily that small veins are starting to show in the smaller girls arms, graced with a delicious sheen of sweat.

She barely hears Emily count to three and instructing to lift with her. When the two girls have carried the heavy object into the cool shop, they are breathing quite heavily and wordlessly take a minute break. Looking at Emily whose hands on her hips, arms out at an angle Naomi knows she likes the way Emily's t-shirt moves because of her heavy breathing and movements of her stomach. She has to ask, "Do you work out?"

Naomi nearly face-palms herself for using _the _most clichéd pick up line on Goddesses green Earth. Even Freddie looks at her disbelievingly and hides in the doorway to eaves drop and watch how Naomi gets out of this one, like an intrigued spectator. **Ohmygodohmygod you're an **_**actual**_** idiot! **

Emily raises a perfect eyebrow and smirks. Naomi tries to save herself from further embarrassment, "I mean, you must do, you're just so strong and muscley! But not in a gross way! I mean there's nothing wrong with women having muscles, I like your-I wish I had-"

"Naomi!" her verbal diarrhea is stopped by the beautiful and beautifully muscley red-head raising her voice to placate the blonde, "yes, I do "work out" actually. My dad owns a string of Gyms. One of which is in London and only a few miles away, dead convenient. He was always encouraging fitness to me, my brother and my sister".

**Weird. **

**Parents…family…**

**Emily talking about her personal life. **

The notion that the beautiful girl in front-of her is indeed very real and not some fantastical idea, _the-gorgeous-girl-from-across-the-street_ suddenly strikes Naomi. She can't decide whether this terrifies her or makes her like Emily more.

Naomi mumbles something that sounds like "yes, well I thought you did".

Emily likes that Naomi seems to be blushing but doesn't stand around to make the blonde girl perhaps more uncomfortable. Instead she indicates that she is going back outside to carry the rest of the packages in.

Naomi seizes the opportunity of keeping her mind (and hands?) safely busy, away from embarrassing herself further in front of Emily, whom she is infuriatingly tongue-tied around.

Her goal in mind she starts to unwrap the packages and strategically arranges them in order to piece together the coffee bar later.

A few minutes later and a couple of packages unwrapped, Freddie, the bald-man and Emily and carrying in the largest and heaviest wrapped piece that will be the actual, main bit of the bar.

Naomi tries to suppress another excited squeal and swiftly moves from the spot where she wants them to place it.

"In here, right there, yeah good." The animated blonde is barking orders at the trio, wanting the bar to be in its exact place, just as she had imagined it, nothing less will do.

If Emily would feel anything less for Naomi she would say she is a control freak, seriously anal. But Emily likes Naomi very much and finds this side to Naomi to be an endearing quality, admirable even.

Once the bar is in place perfectly and then unwrapped, Naomi pounces on the opportunity to build it up and make it functional whilst everyone else stretches their whining muscles.

It feels to her that this is the final piece of the puzzle.

Freddie disappears with the bald man outside to his van, to "thank" him and pay him his money. Emily cautiously steps towards a busy and enthralled looking Naomi and watches quietly, trying not to disturb Naomi when she is looking so absorbed in her task and more importantly to Emily, herself. She doesn't know when she will next get the chance.

Alas, she is, they are _both_ interrupted when Freddie comes back into the shop, popping through the silent bubble, "Christ, that bloody thing better be worth it Nai, I think I slipped a disk!" he exclaims, over-acting as he grabs his lower back and begins to sway from side to side, back and forth.

"Trust me Freds, this Baby will make all our dreams come true!" she says half mockingly with a lopsided grin as she pats it lovingly whilst she's on her knees beside it on the floor.

"I'm gonna set it up _right now_ and see what's she's made of." Freddie shakes his head at his friend for talking about the bar like it's a living thing but likes that she's so passionate about something.

As an after thought Naomi excitedly adds, "We can probably open up tomorrow!" even though Freddie's best-friends face looks so hopeful and determined, he can't help but think she's crazy for saying this, maybe a bit to optimistic he surmises.

"Ha! Good one! I bet it'l take you all day to set the bloody thing up AND THEN all night to figure out how it makes coffee. YOU don't even know how to make coffee!" he laughs at her.

Naomi is quick to turn bright red and stand up to defend herself, shooting an exasperated look to Freddie for showing her up in front of Emily. Again.

Emily just giggles. **Huh. A coffee-shop owner who doesn't know the first thing about making coffee. Interesting.** Only to Emily, it is. It's another thing to add on the steadily growing list of things she finds interesting about Naomi. They each make her all the more love- _likeable_.

"Whatever, Freds. How hard can it be? All I have to do is follow an instruction manual and then a recipe. I have a degree you know, it's not gonna be bloody rocket science!" Naomi says in an indignant huff.

Emily thinks another thing she can add to her list of things she finds interesting about Naomi (and by extension, a list of things she likes about Naomi) is that she is certainly ambitious.

Emily can see Naomi wave an amused Freddie away before going about her previous task of building her bar.

That's when Emily pipes up, "Well I'll leave you too it then, you really couldn't use my help with this _technical_ stuff, I haven't a clue!" her voice goes high at the end and she laughs nervously.

Naomi looks up from her task and makes a face to mean she feels terrible for forgetting to involve her, but she doesn't argue with Emily, just tries to amend her manners.

"Oh right! Yeah, shit sorry, I got carried away! Um, thanks for your help Emily it was really kind of you" the blonde smiles at her sincerely. Emily smiles back and shuffles her feet, almost cartoon-like. "No problem, happy to help Neighbour".

Naomi wants to kick herself for letting the red-head go, thinks she made her go. **You did ignore her for like 5 hours just then. **

Just as Emily goes to leave, an uncontrollable honest outburst that Naomi usually finds she can't control from happening around the red-head, happens to be least embarrassing one yet and in this instance, rather fucking wonderful.

"Emily!" Naomi thinks she have even scared herself with the volume of that address. "Come over later when I've set it up and you can be my official quality-control-coffee-taste-tester!" she says rather excitedly, doesn't have time to cringe and the lameness of her sentence because Emily is sending her the biggest smile that shows her perfect teeth and adorable dimples off.

"Yeah, thanks, I will. I'd love too."

Naomi can't help but grin back and become hot under Emily's open gaze. "Cool. So I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah, see you. Bye."

And Emily leaves, returns to her shop. Both girls smiling on the inside and out as they go back to work, counting down the hours until they can feel that way again.

* * *

><p><strong>Fanxxxxx for reading, please review, I need all the support I can get whilst I'm away! Trust me. It's one of those trips. <strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey I'm back, thanks for sticking around :D I really hope you enjoy this!**

The torturously slow jarring motion of the clock hands have been taunting Emily for the past seven hours and thirty-eight minutes. Of course time isn't actually slowing down, it's ticking on steadily, reliably, as it will do forever, until the end of time in fact. Emily can't help but wonder if a cruel phenomenon is happening on today of all days as part of some disgusting Murphy's law.

Her only consoling thought as she constantly looks at the bright orange clock on her shop wall as she carries out the tasks of a normal day is that she actually has no idea, or hasn't yet decided when would be an appropriate time to encroach on Naomi.

_No, you're __**hanging out**__ with Naomi. She invited you so you're not making her do anything she doesn't want to. You're sort of __**friends**__ now._

Emily will still need more encouragement from Naomi's behavior towards her for her to actually feel comfortable about them really being friends. She daren't let her self believe it yet. Regardless of what they are for now, it still feels really good being around the beautiful blonde.

And not because she's so god damn stunning.

Emily doesn't care to "collect" people like some others she knows that do. She hates the idea of all the same "cool' and good looking people being in groups of friends just because it's an image. None of them know anything about each other, or even give a fuck. Definitely not Emily's thing. Her instinct tells her it's not Naomi's either.

For seven hours and thirty-eight minutes she has done all of the usual things she _likes_ to and _has_ to do during a "normal" day.

Truth be told Emily feels like she hasn't had a "normal" day in weeks. Ever since a skin-tingly-gorgeous blonde had the wrong change in Panda's shop and moved in across the street. So the only normal thing about her not so "normal" days now is a constant reel of Naomi related images, thoughts and senses, which flit yet, linger in her mind's eye.

She's _had_ to serve a few customers, some she doesn't recognize and she's _liked_ telling them to have a nice day and come back any time. She's _had_ to steam the new clothes that were brought in earlier and she's _liked_ helping some of the regulars that come in pick out something right for them, and _liked_ seeing their smiles as they happily left the shop.

All the while seeing blue. And blonde. And sensing her kindness that she guesses she's just getting used to. She swears she can smell books.

She's had to make her and Effy some dinner and she liked thinking that probably after dinner, around seven o' clock would be an acceptable time to go over the road and fulfill Naomi's request of hanging out together. Exciting.

It is with a light and giddy heart that Emily pushes open the door of _Starbooks_ and beholds the vision that is Naomi standing nervously behind her coffee bar, shoulder length white-gold hair mussed up and wild, chocolate dust spattered deliciously on her milky skin, coffee spills all over her apron, more on her actual clothes.

Amused, Emily thinks that Naomi looks like she has been wrestling with the coffee machine rather than learning how to use it.

Naomi is the first to say something,

"Hi Emily, I'm _so _glad you're here! I need you to try a few drinks if that's ok?" Naomi is looking at her brightly but her tone is a little shy still.

Emily doesn't know where it came from, she'd been so careful around the girl before but she can't stop herself from letting a part of her true, forward personality out, hasn't done in a long time to anyone but Effy. She makes a joke,

"Yeah I can, but I'm not sure I'm the right candidate, I fucking hate coffee." Emily keeps a practiced straight-face. Naomi's jaw visibly drops in horror and the anxiety of the situation she's now in. _Now what am I gonna do? Not only is she gonna be useless in helping me perfect the taste… but what kind of monster doesn't like coffee?_

Emily giggles but also a little out of embarrassment because she's created an awkward situation, has to provide an explanation for her behavior, this seemingly out of character action,

"I'm kidding Naomi! I'm sorry, I love coffee and I'll be an amazing taste-tester!" Emily makes her way towards the girl and tries to look as sincere as possible but still maintaining a jovial air.

_Huh. A sense of humor eh?_ _Well that's fantastically different _Naomi thinks, relief washing through her causing a sheepish grin to erupt on her pink, shy lips.

Emily continues, "I promise by morning you will have mastered this machine" flourishes her arms, "and will be able to serve high-quality coffee to anyone who comes through these doors! On your opening day."

Emily's passion makes Naomi's smile broaden. The red-head's switch from her polite and shy demeanor to someone who was willing to yank her around stirred Naomi up. In a good way. You could say she was encouraged to be a little less reserved with her too. Whether she meant to be quite so forward is another mystery when she says:

"Planning on staying here all night then?" with a wink.

_Flirting? _Emily entertains. Naomi looks as though she shocked herself. _Hmm maybe a bit __**too**__ forward. Bit of a twat._ _You don't even know if she's gay. _Naomi moves the conversation on and acts like her more recently composed self again,

"So how was your day Emily?" she asks while subtly trying to make herself look presentable. Concludes that there is not much point, she'll just get filthier as the night goes on. _And not even in a good way._

Emily plants herself gracefully on a mismatched bar stool that Naomi must have brought in from somewhere earlier,

"It's been OK thanks, pretty much the same routine" she places her purse on the bar. _I hope she doesn't think she has to pay, she is too sweet_, Naomi thinks as she watches Emily's slender hand come away from her purse and join her other to come under her pretty chin. She's fascinated by the way her fingers absentmindedly stroke her flawless jaw-line.

_I so want to get to know you more so I can be comfortable around you. So comfortable I can touch you and make you laugh and you'd want to tell me anything and everything. _

Emily looks at Naomi's face properly now that they are so close. _So beautiful_. She sees a warmth in the captivating blue orbs, which Emily interprets as Naomi wanting them to be that little more familiar with each other. It makes her heart skip a beat and then pound hard to compensate.

Eventually Naomi looks away busying herself by preparing a shot for Emily's drink before asking, "Well that's fair enough. So lets start with your favourite…what'll it be Ems?"

The nickname makes her reckless, "Oh I think you'll have to guess."

_Shit. If that wasn't outrageous flirting then I have a shiny purple dildo called Derek and Panda likes me to beat her with it. Balls. _

For the second time tonight Naomi's jaw drops slightly. But in a better way. Her eyebrows reach new heights and he can't help a disbelieving short bark of a laugh escape her. Still doesn't know quite how to keep her cool in front of Emily especially when she keeps throwing curve balls.

Naomi puts her hands on her hips, stands firm and raises an eyebrow and regards Emily who is blinking slowly and breathing imperceptibly deeply to quell her own amazement.

Naomi decides she definitely likes this better. She can throw all the curve balls she likes in the future. _Hmm Emily in the future… nope not scary yet. Actually rather fucking wonderful. _However she can't help but feel like she should rein it in. She can tell that Emily is slowly revealing herself and Naomi would do anything to let her continue and her gut tells her that its all Emily's decision, she has her own pace she's sure.

Thus Naomi thinks the best thing to do is be consistent, keep it all nice and slow.

No matter how much Naomi would love to turn on her Campbell Charm and really test the waters, they are still nowhere near clear enough to go diving head first and splash about. Emily would just get wet. _And not in __**good**__ way!_

Plan firmly in place Naomi humbly lets the pair slide into the base of a friendship and expresses a quarter of the joy she feels at their easy-going atmosphere, "let me think" Naomi taps her chin with a long digit and exaggeratingly scrutinizes Emily, who's lips are smirking, on their way to a smile, Naomi has an eye closed, her head tilted and her lips pressed together when she asks this non-question, it rolls off her tongue, "you're a mocha kinda girl."

Emily tilts her creamy neck back, looks to the ceiling and mock-sighs, in a way that she is shocked and relieved she figured her out, "yes." She says simply and then smiles cheekily. They are bantering. It's nice.

"Yeeeaaaaahhh knew iiiit" she celebrates quietly as she dryly punches the air and laughs with Emily.

"But does she do flavouring?" Emily jokes with wry eyes.

"Of course, how could _one_ forget? Does she?"

"Hazelnut."

"Like your eyes."

"Sorry?"

Naomi's certain floundering for an answer is swiftly replaced by the deafening sound of her steaming milk in a gleaming jug, her back luckily turned, hiding from Emily whilst she bites her lip at her inability to not say the wrong things. To not rein it in. _Now who's lobbing curve balls! Bit of a twat indeed._

She has to laugh at herself really, so she's smiling genuinely when she stands in front of Emily again, "small, medium or large _hazelnut_ mocha Ems?"

"Large please." _Obviously. I'd like to stay here with you as long as possible._

"I'm afraid I haven't had chance to learn any of the foamy-frothy-art stuff yet" the blonde says as she pours milk into a mug for Emily, "so you'll have to make do with…Splodge."

Naomi is biting her lip and her eyes glisten with mirth as she regards the coffee she's made for the beautiful red-head.

_You are so fucking cute_.

"That's cute!" Emily reassures with a hint of playful sarcasm that Naomi sincerely appreciates.

Naomi watches carefully as Emily picks up the mug almost ceremoniously, blows on it a little _(wondrously) _and takes a sip.

Naomi holds her breath, nerves and excitement flowing through her as she witnesses Emily drink the very first cup of coffee she's properly made for anybody.

"Mmmm." Emily moans in apparent pleasure.

_Oh sweet Jesus that sounded hot…Rein it in rein it in rein it in rein it in._

"Yeah?" she has to ask.

"Mmm, fuck yeah."

"Seriously?"

Her whole body tingles when she watches with heavy-lids, Emily slowly rim the mug with her finger and generously suck the chocolate foam from it.

"So good Naomi"

A gulp.

"Not too strong?"

A serious expression followed by a bite of a full lip.

"The best I've ever had."

This time Emily takes a sip, she moans highly too explicitly and Naomi feels herself flood with warmth a second before the penny finally drops and she realises Emily is fucking with her,

"You dirty bitch!" she gasps and laughs loudly at the situation. Naomi throws a small packet of sugar jokingly at Emily who is silently shaking with laughter, hand in front of her mouth lest she choke on another mouthful she was going to tease the blonde with. She was struggling to come up with more innuendo and didn't know how more R-Rated she could get.

When the two finally catch their breath the air is so light and comfortable they feel like they could float in it. Straight into each other's arms and off into the vast unknown.

_Not yet._

"But seriously Naomi, Its _really_ good." She holds the blonde's gaze whilst she looks adorably bashful, like a child would look when their teacher tells them their drawing they spent fucking ages on is really good.

"I'd tell you otherwise as I'm rather picky when it comes to my coffee. Effy is notoriously crap when it comes to making coffee the way I like it."

_Ah yes, the mysterious Effy, I'd almost forgotten about her. _

Naomi laughs, "Well remind me never to give her a job here! But, yeah, I'd hoped you'd give me your honest verdict and I'm relieved you approve so much. I don't think I could take going back to the drawing board." Naomi runs a hand through her hair in an exhausted manner, which makes Emily ask,

"So have you been here _all_ day, since I saw you this morning, trying to get your recipes right?"

"Yeah pretty much, I really want to be ready to open tomorrow." Naomi moves from the counter to make another drink for Emily to try.

"I just…I really can't wait to start _Starbooks_. It's been my dream for a _very_ long time, so to say I'm only a little bit excited is a bit ridiculous."

Emily understands completely. She can tell that for Naomi this new livelihood will be a gateway of sorts for her to be the person she has always wanted to be. She knows how that feels, Naomi's story is shockingly similar to Emily's four years ago. Emily only hopes that it actually works for Naomi this time.

"I know exactly what you mean, Effy and I moved here from Bristol, straight after college. Fashion and clothes was always something I was desperate to do and I couldn't wait another three years in Uni before I could get my hands dirty."

Naomi listens intently as she realises Emily is sharing an important part of herself, barely, but she'll take what she can get.

"Effy came with me because I think she needed to get out of Bristol." Emily says flatly.

"And what about you?" Naomi pushes,

"Maybe I really needed to leave too." The red-head murmurs disconnectedly, her dark hazel eyes remembering a far away place.

_That's all you're going to get today Campbell. Her pace remember._

Ever the one to bring Emily firmly back to Earth, Naomi announces that Emily has more coffee to try and places an espresso in front of her, insisting that this one needs to be right as she expects most of the population of London drink this strong, highly stimulating, quick and easy shot.

Emily is reminded that she can't affect the past, she lives in the present. A present, which has Naomi standing in front of her, being friendly and nice and genuine. And that is more than enough for her at the moment. More than enough of a fresh start.

* * *

><p>It's 9 am the next morning and Naomi hasn't been to bed. There was no way she could sleep and she muses that is has little to do with the three espressos, two lattes, a cappuccino and a couple of iced coffees that her <em>and<em> Emily had both consumed last night.

Last night. Naomi has been smiling to herself ever since Emily left around eleven. They had such an easy-going time with each other at last. Naomi is increasingly enjoying Emily being more comfortable around her and she loves learning the tiniest things about the red-headed beauty.

Granted they are mostly about how she takes her coffee, for instance she never adds sugar, she usually drinks black coffee but will have a hazelnut mocha to treat herself.

All seemingly boring and normal but Naomi loves it. She likes to think the little things will help in puzzling the bigger picture of Emily. Her new friend.

She had tried all the while Emily was there to get her to tell her what her favorite book was, but Emily had teased her again and got her to guess. Naomi had been fruitless. She was still trying to figure it out when she was practicing the foam art. And then in the shower. And then whilst she was sweeping the shop floor and cleaning any surface she could find.

No wonder she didn't sleep when all she could do was think about Emily. And then smile and rack her brains over the one book Emily is in love with. She laughed and shook her head a few times while she prepared the shop long through the night. It's pointless to try and figure it out, she has so little about Emily to go on.

It is when Naomi is nervously taking a turn about the shop this morning at 9am, right after she flicked the sign on the door to "open", when in the corner of her eye she spots a title that should have been so obvious to her she nearly kicks herself. She takes it from the shelf, frowning for a second that her perfectly ordered books now have a gap in them but soon remembers that is what they are bloody there for.

She gingerly places the book on the coffee counter and almost skips in excited appraisal at herself that she's found the book. _Emily will be so impressed! If she comes in today…_

Her hopes are confirmed when she sees a swish of bright red hair in front of the window and Emily striding through her shop door for the third time in just less than twenty-four hours.

Naomi greets her excitedly, "Well Good morning first official customer! How nice of you to drop by!"

Emily plays along and replies, "Good morning to you too! I heard this place is really close to where I live and it sells great quality coffee at reasonably low prices so I thought I'd give it a whirl."

"Great quality coffee eh?" Naomi banters as she prepares Emily her mocha, "It's as if I had an incredibly sweet red-head help me with the recipes all night" she adds without thinking.

Emily blushes and smiles at Naomi to say that she's welcome.

"So where is Freddie on "opening day?"

"Oh he's in bed still where I'm leaving him for a few more hours. He went out last night with some people he met at this Jazz club he keeps raving about. Before he went out he said he wasn't working today because there was no way I would get the bar working in time. Ha." Naomi looks smug in spite of her partner upstairs. When Naomi Campbell sets out to do something. She sees it through.

"Effy was out last night too" Emily slips out accidentally.

"Really, that's cool" Naomi tries to sound not so interested, "Ill ask him later if he saw her."

Emily looks uncomfortable for a second before changing the subject, looks around the shop and the books all adoringly arranged.

"It looks great in here, a little different to last night, but in a nice way." She tells the blonde.

"Yeah it took me fucking ages. Stayed up _allll_ night"

"Really? You don't look it." _Shit. _"I mean… you look…" _incredibly stunning as usual. _"Fresh" she finishes.

Naomi looks down at her clean self and her dark cherry vest top and black skinny jeans covered by a customized gold and brown apron. She has a little more make up on than usual and her hair in a messy bun. _Hmm I can live with fresh._

Emily spots Naomi's unsubtle gesture of her fingers tapping repeatedly on a book on the counter. She notes Naomi's triumphant smirk. Emily reads the title, _Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll. _

She smirks inwardly at Naomi's adorable manner but surmises anyway _Oh but that would be way too easy Naoms._

She decides to have a bit more fun with her, "Oh wow you found it! Well done you!"

Naomi looks impossibly pleased with herself.

"_Effy_ will be pleased!"

Or not.

"S-sorry?"

"Yeah this is Effy's favourite book, it was her inspiration for the name of our shop. Obviously. It's how you thought of it right?"

Emily is trying to look at Naomi innocently but is finding her frustration too hilarious. She giggles at Naomi's exasperated response.

"Ugh! I thought I had it! You're very annoying." Naomi sighs good-naturedly.

"Yeah well, you seem to inspire it in me."

Naomi finishes Emily's mocha with a flourish of her newly acquired foam-art skills and slides the mug towards her.

Emily sees it and smiles warmly.

"A flower for a friend" Naomi tells her. Emily melts and falls a little deeper into vast unknown, knowing she can take Naomi with her.

**Please please please review they do encourage me so! Lots of love to everyone of you that do regularly :D you know who you are!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey there,**

**I love writing this and thanks for letting me know you love it too. :D**

_Starbooks_ has only been officially open a week, since the strikingly attractive, blonde co-owner learnt how to make proper coffee without poisoning people. However, it is still a lot less busy than Naomi would like. She finds herself with a lot of free time between trying not to scare off the odd browser and letting desperate mother's with children know where the shop loo is.

In the down, time she would show an eager Freddie how to use the coffee machine, and when she leaves him to his own devices the practice, she tends to read on the shop sofa whilst Freddie makes her drink after drink. This also makes her worry that if she didn't already have a caffeine addiction before, she certainly may have one now.

The shop is currently so quiet that they really only need one person manning the till and bar at a time, making it possible for Naomi to prowl the streets of London to hand out _Starbooks _fliers in vain at beeping-buzzing-busy passers by.

She eventually took the hint, and thought of other ways to get the name of their shop out and about. There were only so many fake apologetic looks and stern shakes of the head that she could take. No matter how stubborn she knows she can be. Instead Naomi took it upon herself to visit clubs and bars in of Camden in the daytime to ask permission to put posters and fliers up in their bathrooms. Sometimes even without permission.

Whenever her and Freddie would fancy a night out and investigate the club scene around their new area, they would each respectively have stashed, somewhere on their persons a couple of posters or stickers to inconspicuously plaster the club walls with so as to attract the right-and hopefully _more_ clientele. They've only been barred from a couple of places and they are getting better at doing it secretively now anyway.

Once, Emily and Effy came with them with their own home-made fliers they knocked up a few hours before all going out together. They argued that local businesses should look out for one another and throughout the night, they stuck their posters and stickers next to every-single one of _Starbooks'_, a cheeky wink or a poke of tongue followed each time.

Sometimes when the shop was quiet and all it took was Freddie to look after it, Naomi liked to walk across the road with two take-out coffees in hand, towards _Through The Looking Glass._ She'd walk in and give one to Emily and keep one for herself. This is the routine now because the first (and last) time Naomi tried to be nice, she brought three cups round and handed the third to Effy; all Naomi received from her in return was an inquiry as to where Freddie was and then after taking a sip of her drink, Effy gave her an excuse saying she'd go over the road because she likes the way Freddie does it better. _I bet she does._

Today when Naomi comes down stairs from doing the accounts in her and Freddie's shared office she sees, unusually, Effy already lounging on the shop sofa with a coffee and half-listening to Freddie's _highly_ engaging story.

Naomi thinks it will be interesting to hear Effy's excuse about her being here with Freddie _alone_ by her own free-will.

"Hi Effy, You look ravishing as always!" Naomi says like she has sunshine coming out of her arse_._ "Doesn't she look ravishing Freddie?" Naomi teases her friend after thinking he deserves it a little bit for beating her record at making the fastest triple-large-sugar free-non fat-no foam-extra caramel-with whip cream macchiato when they came home last night. While they were both still drunk. She was devastated.

Freddie doesn't answer and continues idly wiping the counter.

"Hello to you too Nai, my that _is _a nice dress, wherever did you get it? Must have been a classy place." Effy answers dryly.

The majority of Effy and Naomi's "conversations" are usually this dry and sarcastic. Naomi likes to think that her and Effy are friends of sorts. At least for Freddie and Emily's sake but she can't help the feeling that it's all a bit fake. To Naomi, Effy is an even bigger enigma than Emily, and she doesn't have time for the lies and bullshit that usually come with the games people like her like to play. Neither does she have the energy or the concern to break down Effy's walls. Not when there is a certain gorgeous but mysterious redhead she'd like to unravel first.

Naomi takes pleasure in thwarting Effy's attempts at trying to involve her in her games, just as she enjoys seeing Effy's feathers being ruffled for once, especially as she's usually so seemingly and irritatingly unaffected by the world.

"Yes well, _you_ know Ems, she loves to dress me up." She'd meant to say, "Loves to dress _people_ up" but Naomi can't seem to get rid of the thought that _she_ loves it when Emily picks her things to wear when she goes over on these quiet days. The dress she's wearing at the moment is simple, floral and sixties-esque that Emily had picked out for the blonde and said that she thought Naomi would like it. At first when Naomi tried it on she was sure it was too short, showed a bit too much leg. Emily was very insistent it didn't.

"I bet she does." Effy retorts with her infuriatingly devious smirk.

"Actually," Effy continues without missing a beat as she motions for Naomi to sit beside her on the couch, "I came round to invite you both to a _gathering_ at my friends house tonight."

"What? Like a party?" Naomi dumbly offers.

"Yes Naomi, like a _house party._"

"Is Emily going?" she asks before she can stop herself.

Effy smiles knowingly and says, "I'm not sure, you could always ask her."

"Right." Naomi says in a way that she hopes Effy realises she isn't stupid and doesn't appreciate Effy treating her so. "Can you make me two Americano's please mate?" she addresses Freddie.

"If you're taking them to her now, I'd wait a bit. It's our lunch break and she's uh-" Effy pauses at the sheer genius of the opportunity she's in. She decides to toy with Naomi who still knows so little about Emily. Effy knows there are a couple of burning questions regarding Emily that the blonde would kill to have the answers to. She decides to make things a little more interesting.

Effy clears her throat to give her voice added clarity before looking Naomi in the eyes, "she's with her _other half_", she emphasizes and can't help but giggle whilst adding, "or is it her _better half?" _and giggles manically again.

At Effy's words Naomi experiences an almost devastating sinking feeling. _Is she seeing someone? Boyfriend, girlfriend? Casual, serious? How long?_

She doesn't have much chance to drown in all of the questions and the disappointment that comes along with them because she sees Emily walking determinedly down her street towards the clothes shop, her red hair trickling in the wind creating an effect like the sun reflecting off the ocean's waves.

Naomi pulls herself together with the thought that she mustn't jump to conclusions yet, she's read all of the possible signs that Emily has unwillingly and unwittingly shown and Naomi hasn't come up with anything so far as to suggest she was in a relationship with anyone. She must have just misinterpreted Effy. Yes. Misinterpreted.

She watches Emily enter her shop for a moment longer before Naomi turns to face the room; her voice is a little forced and shrill, "Oh look! She's back now so if I could just have those coffees please Freddie I can go over there and leave you two to it."

"Sure, two Americano's coming up..."

"Actually, you know what? I'll do it, she prefers it when I make it." The significance of what she says makes her cringe as she walks behind the bar, effectively shoving a bemused Freddie out of the way.

"Sweet." Effy says smugly.

"She doesn't like it with sugar Effy." She tries to say acidly at Effy's amused face. Naomi imagines her feelings melting from her body and seeping through the cracks in the wood floor to form a festering puddle in the basement, where they should be hidden.

Naomi's hands are shaking and her breathing is shallow by the time she enters the vintage clothes store. She sees Emily showing a middle-aged woman where the dressing rooms are but then smile enormously when she turns around to find Naomi in the shop with their usual drinks.

"Hi" Naomi greets her breathlessly,

"Hi, you ok? You look a little…I don't know…stricken! What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing just-"

"I've got some exciting news I almost forgot to tell you!" Emily beams,

_Oh shit! Don't tell me you've just starting seeing someone and don't tell me you've just been with them on your lunch break!_

"Yeah?" Naomi says weakly,

"You see that tall, muscular man standing over there?" Emily points to just outside the shop, joy lighting up all of her features.

_Oh fuck._

Naomi reluctantly peeks around the shop door to see indeed a tall, dark, muscular and handsome man standing and smiling beautifully just outside the door. Dread invades her every pore.

_I'm fucked. She's found a perfect hunk of a man and probably completely in lo-_

"He's our new security guard!" Emily squeals with delight and she clasps her hands together. _Wait, what?_

"What?" Naomi all but splutters out and listens to Emily with baited breath,

"We we're robbed a couple of months ago before you and Freddie moved here and we've been looking into getting higher security for the place ever since," Emily explains energized,

"It's a bit of genius actually, Panda suggested him! You remember Panda don't you? From the shop where we met?"

Emily suddenly slows down and blushes furiously. Naomi doesn't have time to register it as she is still desperately trying to find a way in which any of this information discounts the fact that said Hunky Security Guard isn't Emily's new Hunky _Boyfriend._

_I'll die if you're straight and in a relationship…_

"Anyway I was at Panda's offy the other day to see if she wouldn't mind having one of your posters up in her shop and maybe some fliers around, which she agreed to by the way," Naomi can't even bring herself to smile at this point, her blue orbs downcast with up-most despair.

"And I was chatting to her about our situation and she mentioned Thomas! Her boyfriend! Who does freelance security!"

Naomi snaps her head up to meet Emily's shining expressive pools and dares to believe,

"T-Thomas, the security guard? Thomas, Panda's boyfriend, the security guard?"

"Yes!" Emily exclaims exasperated, "Isn't it fantastic?"

Naomi can't fathom the relief, "Oh my god! Wow, yay! So happy for you!"

Emily looks adorably pleased with the idea of a new addition to the staff. "He's so lovely, you should meet him after he's finished doing a perimeter of the shop…" Emily cranes her neck to see where Thomas went.

"Oh well, if not now, then he will be at the party tonight." Emily finishes and smiles at her friend in greeting for the first time since barraging her with exciting news.

Emily gives Naomi a sly once-over, noticing she's wearing the deliciously short floral dress Naomi bought from her a few days ago. Naomi has her hair down in elegant waves making Emily's mouth go dry. She's grateful when Naomi hands her a coffee.

Naomi is about to ask Emily about the party when the woman Emily was helping earlier exits the changing room and places a few items for purchase on the counter Emily is standing behind.

"Just these please love." Says the woman, whilst putting her bag on the floor to find her purse easier. The gesture makes both the young girls smile, both remembering the way they met, both withholding the great importance of that moment for each of them, from each other.

Whilst Emily puts the items through the till and bags them up she addresses Naomi, "You're coming to the party too aren't you? Effy asked you?"

"Yes she did, and yes we are. Does that mean you're coming too?"

"Yeah I'm going – Oh bye! Thank you, come back soon!" Emily waves the smiling woman, arms full of recycled carrier bags, out of the door before turning her attention back to Naomi,

"I was gonna go with Thomas after work to help them set up."

Naomi looks at Emily confused, who quickly cottons on,

"Sorry, it's Panda's party, at Panda's house" she clarifies.

"And Thomas is _Panda's_ boyfriend." Naomi says with a huge smile.

Emily takes a moment to look at Naomi with intensity before softly adding, "he certainly is." It makes Naomi's face flush and she has to look down to hide it.

However as she looks down at the floor she sees the bag belonging to the woman from earlier resting against the counter. She immediately grabs it, a snap decision already being made to return the bag to its rightful owner. As she stands to turn and run out the door as she hurriedly and ineptly informs Emily,

"She left her bag!" and shoots out of the shop door, bag clutched to her chest, face full of determination.

"Hey wait!" Emily screams automatically unsure of what just happened to make Naomi run out of the shop like a mad woman.

Everything is happening so fast she can see Naomi already a few metres down the street. What she didn't see coming was Thomas spring into action at the sight of a desperately running girl and the sound of Emily's alarmed voice.

Thomas sprints down the street like a dog to catch the fleeing thief Naomi, who is non-the wiser.

Emily can see what would happen before it could happen and she futilely shouts Thomas to stop, "Thomas! NO!" but before anyone could listen; Thomas pounces on Naomi making them crash into the ground, hard.

"Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck! Naomi! Are you OK?" Emily runs over to the pair and Thomas is already stood up with the bag in his hands and breathing heavily.

Naomi is sprawled on the ground and hurting absolutely fucking everywhere.

"Ow ow ow, my arm!" Naomi moans trying to get up, feeling so dazed she still doesn't know why she's on the floor.

"Shit! Sorry Thomas, but this is my friend Naomi, she wasn't stealing anything, she was trying to return a bag" Emily says full of guilt to both parties.

"Ah merde!" Thomas gasps, "I am so very sorry, it is all my fault!" He drops the bag and grabs his head with both hands looking to the sky for wisdom or forgiveness Naomi isn't sure.

Naomi feels like the biggest idiot underneath all of the pain in her limbs. _This is fucking perfect, I look like such a tool in front of her._

But Emily is looking at her with so much worry and care that Naomi forgets for a second the searing knives of pain in her wrist and ankle.

"Can you stand? We need to get you to hospital if you've hurt your arm" Emily's voice is calmer now, almost like an actual paramedic but she still rakes her eyes over Naomi's body anxiously and hurriedly as if looking for any serious damage that hasn't yet appeared. Like she's a china doll.

"Ow! No I can't stand, I've hurt my ankle," Naomi offers. _What a stupid thing to say, **I**__ haven't hurt my bloody ankle, **Thomas**__ is clearly the one to blame here!_

Naomi lies back down still unceremoniously sprawled on the pavement and sighs at the injustice in the world. She sees Emily staring at her, biting her lip.

"I can see your knickers" Emily's brain makes her say without permission. The incredibly short dress has ridden up so high as to short-circuit Emily's brain.

"Emi-ly! I'm in pain!" Naomi whines mercilessly, makes Emily snap back into action again.

"Right. Sorry." Shakes her head a little, "Thomas! Please could you carry Naomi to my car" Not really a question.

Thomas scoops a grumbling Naomi into his arms, apologizing profusely all the way to Emily's small Mini Cooper. He helps Naomi lie down across the back seats before turning to Emily who closes Naomi's door and walks around to her own.

"Would you like me to come with you Emily?"

"No it's OK Thommo, could you let Effy know what's happened and ask her to come back to the shop?"

"Of course, again I am so sorry!" he says so seriously she thinks he might start crying.

"Don't worry Thomas I'll speak to you later, she'll be fine." _I hope she'll be fine_ she thinks as she looks at Naomi in her car, she has her good hand over her eyes and is breathing deeply.

"In fact," she adds, "tell Freddie not to worry as well and you can have the rest of the day off Thommo!"

She hears Naomi let out another loud groan of pain mixed with frustration so she quickly gets into her car, slams the door and speeds off towards the hospital, all the while trying to sooth the beautiful blonde in the back of her car by saying such things as,

"We're nearly there."

And,

"You're gonna be fine Naoms."

Naomi sighs in the back of Emily's car, as she looks at the world zipping by upside down, a delicate smile grace her lips as the pain is momentarily diffused.

_You called me Naoms._

**Let me know how the story is affecting you, cheers.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Good evening :)**

**I know I always ask for reviews but I never thought I'd care about how many I received, just as long as the odd one popped up and told me people were liking it I'd be**

**more than happy to carry on, but wow! Over 40! That's amazing! Thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, alerts etc. I thought I'd post this one today as a thank you :D **

**Please enjoy;**

"Oh Naoms don't sulk!"

"I will sulk thank you very much, I'm highly injured!"

When Emily had finally managed to hoist a limping and groaning Naomi into the emergency room, a willowy silver-haired Doctor had crisply told them with the authority of a busy woman that Naomi had sustained a hairline fracture in her wrist as well as a sprained ankle. The tussled blonde had listened with slumped shoulders and a defiant glare when she was instructed to return in six weeks for a check up but in the mean time take care to rest the ankle as much as possible and to not lift anything heavy or take part in any rigorous activities.

Emily had been by her side never more than a couple of feet away the whole time Naomi was being observed and treated. She watched with guilt-ridden features and watery eyes that threatened to spill as hospital professionals took x-rays of Naomi's multiple damaged limbs. All Emily had wanted was to hold the blonde's good hand in hers and shower it with comforting kisses. But that was quite out of the question she knew with a leaden heart.

Her face is like grumbling thunder. Naomi is being pushed by Emily towards her Mini Cooper, this being the source of Naomi's extreme discomfort as well as the aches and pains in her extremities. She feels humiliated having this other ridiculous hospital protocol subjected to her. She would feel a lot better showing Emily that she would be perfectly fine using the crutches she was issued with.

On the other hand this is easier said than done because once they reach the car Naomi struggles like Bambi on ice in roller blades whilst getting out of the chair and into the to vehicle using her crutches. She huffs in distress thinking that she wouldn't have to look so undignified getting out of the chair if they didn't put her in the damn thing in the first place. Naomi checks her phone for any messages from Freddie or any missed calls, but she has received nothing. She notes her battery on her phone is ironically extremely low and can't help but conspiratorially feel her own energy levels mirror those of the inanimate object.

She smiles gratefully at Emily, as much as her trampled pride can muster, when Emily opens the door for her and guides her ankle to a comfortable spot behind the front seats.

Naomi sighs audibly before thinking _how on Earth did I end up here today?_

Once in the car, Emily checks-up on Naomi for the millionth time in the last couple of hours or so, she sees a scowl and pink bottom lip poking out, her arms folded as much she could without hurting her broken wrist.

As sorry as Emily feels she can't help but share a tiny secretive smile with herself, thinking that Naomi still looks incredibly adorable.

"Please don't pout Naoms, you look so much prettier when you smile."

It wasn't the compliment that reconfigures Naomi's face into a bashful smile but another mention of Emily's new nickname for her, or as she likes to think of it, a term of endearment.

Another added bonus is that Emily hasn't ribbed her about her last name yet. She remembers dreading the all too familiar snigger that usually follows the outing of her _hilarious_ surname, but nothing followed from Emily when the Doctors and hospital officials would formally address her as "Miss Campbell" or over a speaker "would Naomi Campbell please make her way to the Out desk." Emily had just cocked her head as if filing away something important.

Nevertheless, Naomi is a terrible patient and hopes Emily will file this fact away as something important,

"I don't pout _or_ sulk, this is the way may face looks when I'm in agonizing pain!"

"Did they not give you any pain medication?"

"Yeah, they did, somewhere…" Naomi roots around her bag slowly, not ready to give up the role of poor injured hero any time soon. _Not that I did anything hero worthy. If they gave out medals for making a complete tit out of yourself then I deserve a fucking knighthood…_

She finds them and shakes the bottle in Emily's mirror to show her.

"Here." Emily brandishes a bottle of water to the blonde quickly before settling her eyes back on the road.

"Concentrate on driving you! We don't want another accident!"

Emily chuckles at the mardy blonde who is currently taking a couple of tablets with the water, "God, you're so moody! It's not my fault you went tear-arseing out of my shop with another woman's bag clutched in your hands! What was my security guard _supposed_ to think?" Emily thinks she will enjoy winding Naomi up, she's so cute when she's in a huff.

Naomi looks appalled and flabbergasted at the same time, "That is _not_ what you have been saying _all_ afternoon!"

Emily chuckles slightly at how riled up she's getting,

"Its been all; "So sorry Naomi!" this and "It's all my fault!" that! You've changed your tune!"

Naomi takes yet more pills so she doesn't have to look at Emily smirking and biting her lip. _I'm so __**not**__ annoyed with you but I'm loving the attention you're giving me._

"Hey! Don't take too many of them you'll be as high as a kite!"

"Maybe I want to be, they don't seem to be working anyway, I've still got a pain in my arse and it's called Emily!"

Emily throws her head back and laughter peels from her chest, she can hardly stop as tears come to her eyes.

Her delicious glee is infectious and Naomi can't help but laugh at it all with her. Laugh at her failed attempt at being a good citizen, laughing at the mess her body is in and laughing because Emily has shown so much care towards her and before she could only dream that she would.

Once they get back on their street Emily helps Naomi out of her car and to the door of _Starbooks, _an arm around her waist and her shoulder holding up her good arm, whilst the red-head also carries the taller girls' crutches.

Naomi thinks if she hadn't taken so many pain pills and therefore be feeling so numb, she'd be able to enjoy the feeling of Emily touching her so much and being so close. Emily is trying very hard to concentrate on getting Naomi safely inside, without dropping her due to sensory overload by being able to smell Naomi everywhere and have her soft skin in the palm of her own.

She lets her go reluctantly so Naomi can unlock the door. Naomi comments quietly on how strange it is that Freddie isn't in and has flipped the sign on the door to _Closed, _it being only just before five after all. They usually close at six.

When they are inside and Emily is helping her to the couch. Naomi calls out for her moppy haired friend,

"Freddie! Where are you? You useless stoner."

No reply. The shop is quiet except for Emily's breathing.

She had helped Naomi to the couch, making her lie on it, with her foot carefully propped on a pillow and she's now carefully sat on the edge of the sofa, deceptively close to Naomi.

Naomi didn't realise how close she was until now, she gulps inaudibly watching Emily's flawless porcelain face, "Thank you." She tells her softly, hoping she knows exactly what for. _For more than I should tell you at the moment._

"You're welcome." Emily says and she wishes for nothing more than to kiss the blonde ever so softly on the brow, right on tired crease where Naomi has been frowning all day.

Emily moves away from the ticklish atmosphere that herself and Naomi frequently seem to make. She sits on one of the bar stools, trying to shake herself to sensibility.

Naomi's mind being in such an open and vulnerable state is screaming to reveal all, it tells Naomi that it's ok to let go everything she's felt for the red-head and bask in reciprocation. Her mind soothes her into believing that it's a good idea, it will feel good because how can anything bad happen when the mind will caress such encouraged thoughts that Emily feels the same way?

But like a cold hand on a wintry warm back her better judgment and rationality smash their way into her conscious thought and steely anchor themselves so she can resolutely realize what is best, so she can instead say,

"I think I'm stoned" in a puzzled voice.

Emily manages a small genuine chuckle and succumbs to glancing at the blonde on the sofa. She thinks she can see an inner battle being waged behind the blondes' baby blues, until she watches her gently close them with a soft sigh.

"We should try and sober you up then," Emily commands as she walks behind the bar, "I've always wanted to know how to use one of these as well".

The petite red-head brazenly starts to fill the lever with ground coffee and flip a few switches on the machine, as if she's meticulously watched Naomi do it a hundred times.

"The only thing I'm not sure about," she mutters to herself, "is the steamed milk- SHIT!"

Naomi had closed her eyes momentarily out of the extreme exhaustion she felt and the knowledge that she was safe here with Emily whilst she waited with the blonde for Freddie to come back. _Wherever the hell he was anyway._

She had felt so relaxed and that her body wasn't her own, she a mere visitor. That was until she heard Emily screech through an expletive and the cacophony of a dropped metal jug and the wretched unmistakable sound of raw pain.

"Emily! What happened?"

Naomi springs from the sofa despite her body's significant protests and moves as quickly as she can to where Emily is holding her wrist and standing tenderly on one foot. All she demands is,

"Bathroom? Kitchen? Quick! Where is it?"

Naomi looks in horror at Emily's already reddening, burning hand, makes her hastily follow her into the shop's ground floor bathrooms. She wrenches the cold tap on, gently guides a lip-quivering Emily to place her hand under the soothing stream.

"Naomi, my foot" the red-head croaks.

Naomi looks down and sees where the dropped jug must have spilt boiling milk on her open-top sandals.

"OK" grabs a clean hand towel from under the sink, "You're gonna be OK" drenches it in cold water, "But we're gonna need to take you to A and E right now", delicately but not so delicately takes her shoe off and wraps the wet towel around her foot and Emily hisses.

"Take my car, the keys are in my pocket"

Naomi lets the panic finally take over her now and she realises with dread and an awful feeling of letting Emily down with her inadequacy,

"I don't know how to drive!" she says instantly and uselessly,

"What?" Emily is panicking because Naomi is panicking, "What sort of twenty-two year old doesn't know how to drive?" pained panic makes her voice rise and shriek.

"Those with a mother like mine!" Naomi retorts stressed but is already hobbling out of the bathroom, teeth gritted in retaliation to sharp pains in her ankle. She doesn't think to grab her crutches, dives for her phone to ring a taxi but is fucking furious when she realises the battery has finally died.

Desperate, Naomi charges outside in hopes of finding…anything! A phone, a taxi, a bloody tandem!

There! Across the street three houses down, a Knight in shining black steel and four wheels, crested with a glowing orange beacon of salvation,

"TAXIIIII!"

The cab-driver must have heard the desperation in her summon, everyone in Camden must have heard her scream, Emily certainly did because as the driver sped down the road just after leaving his last bewildered customers standing in the street, the red-head joins Naomi's side using Naomi's own crutches after sensitively remembering to drop the latch on the shop door.

As soon as the taxi pulls up, Naomi throws the door open with a wince forgetting completely to not use her damaged hand but soon bundles Emily and herself into the taxi, she doesn't have chance to state their destination, their driver being an intuitive fellow,

"It'll be the hospital you'll be wantin' is it?"

"Quick as you can." Naomi breathes while she looks at Emily who is crushed into her side, eyes screwed tightly shut and lips pursed into a dark line.

* * *

><p>"You two? Again?" The same authoritative statuesque female doctor inquires, her professionalism slipping for the briefest of moments as she regards two identically bandaged young women sitting together on a hospital bed, waiting to be formally discharged.<p>

Naomi bristles as the woman rubs her the wrong way,

"It's not like it was intentional but thank you for your input"

It won't take much to push Naomi passed civility into irritated at this minute in time anyway, she feels so bad for Emily that she wish the roles were back to where they were, and that she was the one with injuries sustained by hot milk.

Emily was incredibly brave and graceful about the incident, whilst Naomi was completely the opposite, fussing over her when the nurses were trying to give her expert aid. Naomi even tried to question their competency when Emily would hiss too loudly in pain. Before Emily could sweetly tell her to calm down the nurses had swiftly told Miss Campbell to wait for her friend elsewhere as all she was doing was stressing _herself_ out.

But Naomi _was_ stressing out as she waited for Emily to be patched up,

_Fuck me, what if I've disfigured her? Poor sweet Emily's hands, burnt!_

Even as Naomi was being checked over by another nurse, her ankle and wrist having to be re-bandaged, her thoughts were of Emily. The red-head had been embarrassed of all things, saying over and over again that she shouldn't have been messing around with such equipment she knew next to nothing about. Naomi would just mumble something about "should have warned you" or "shouldn't have been injured in the first place, none of this would have happened". Emily would concede there was no point arguing with her. They had both felt enough guilt for one day. Both parties had wanted to take the blame for the person they cared so much about.

The willowy doctor ignores Naomi's irrationality and continues unfazed with their medical summary preceding their discharge,

"Miss Fitch, you are lucky in that you have suffered minor burns and therefore shouldn't experience any residual scarring of your hand or foot."

Naomi feels elated at the news and thanks the million Gods and Goddesses she had spent the last couple of hours praying to. However, residual grief over the beautiful red-head's ordeal is still making her hostile to anyone who irritates her,

"I don't find any of this lucky." Naomi retorts but Emily diffuses the blonde bomb by placing her left hand on Naomi's thigh briefly, immediately shutting the taller girl up. Emily quickly says,

"Thank you doctor, I'd say it was rather a testament to the quality of care at hand," and she gives Naomi's leg a subtle pat before returning her hand to her own lap.

The silver-haired Doctor hums disinterested, "Indeed. If you could fill out this form Miss Fitch, and _you_ Miss Campbell; this one for the additional treatment your _already_ damaged wrist and ankle received after bringing Miss Fitch in."

She hands the forms to the girls and glares pointedly at Naomi, who despite her bravado is secretly intimidated by this powerful presence, "you can check yourselves out and not get into any trouble for six weeks until I next see the both of you."

Satisfied that she receives understanding from Emily and Naomi, the doctor whisks away leaving the girls alone with their embarrassment.

"She hates me." Naomi states as they both scribble on their forms.

"Nah…not really. Maybe a little bit… can't imagine why" Emily replies playfully, nudging Naomi a little so she ruins a word she was writing (poorly whilst injured). Naomi colours as she notices Emily is left-handed, the oddity warming her, she gulps and presses on,

"I think that as soon as she saw my full-name she thought I was some sort of bimbo who changes their last name to that of a famous super-model so that people and opportunities will just throw themselves at you. As if that would happen to you anyway! I didn't choose my name and it certainly hasn't made my life easier!"

"Oh I think she will understand how "unfortunate-names" won't make anyone's life any easier…" Emily says coquettishly.

"How do you mean?"

"Do you not know what our Doctors name is?" Emily says a little tartly,

"No, should I?" Naomi challenges with a smirk,

"Read your form properly." Emily says simply and nods her head towards the piece of paper laying in the blonde's lap,

_Blah blah Naomi Campbell treated at blah blah blah Thursday 23__rd__ of June by – _Naomi's eyes widen and she can feel hilarity quickly overcome shock – _by Doctor Payne._

There is a beat, a couple of seconds where Naomi and Emily's eyes lock, recognition, before the pair explodes into howling laughter.

Naomi can be heard to gasp "Ow!" whilst her body racks with laughing so hard and she's gasping for air. Emily had thrown her head back with such force she ends up laying on the bed, her legs waving in the air as she creases beautifully girly.

It was a while before they could complete their forms.

**Hope you liked it and was funny despite the drama ;) The next update probably won't be as speedy as my internet is playing hell and I have a party to write! Fanxxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi again :)**

**I know I said this would be the party, but I'm getting there, so this is like part one... I think this chapter does however answer some questions? maybe... :P**

**I'm going on holiday in a couple of days so you may have to wait a bit... sorry! I dabbled in a different style in this one, theres a lot more talk :) it won't stay like that forever though. Enough rambling, please enjoy :)**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Freddie!" – "Naomi!"<strong>

"**Where the fuck have you been?"**

Naomi shakes her head as her brain reacts to the two sets of speech one angry blonde and one concerned lanky bloke said at the same time.

She regards her tall worried friend from her unnaturally low position on the ground with ferocious animosity, and charges at him in her wheel chair, lancing him with a shaky crutch across the shop floor all the while screaming,

"Where have _I_ been? I've been to the bloody hospital – _twice!_ And you weren't fucking _there_ Freddie!"

Freddie uses his long limbs to dodge the blonde's attacks and manages to keep to a safe spot behind her chair, "I know I'm sorry ok, I am. I was worried sick –"

"You're my pissing emergency contact! Where were you? – come back here!" she tries to twist around and whack him anywhere she could reach, like a sibling would.

He grabs her chair still but Naomi decides she could intimidate more answers out of him if she were at her original height. She launches herself boldly out of the chair and steadies herself on her crutches in front of him. She gives him her worst Campbell Death Glare.

"I went there as soon as Thomas found-" he stops suddenly and thinking of what to say, of what lie he could come up with. But he's never lied to Naomi. Even when he tried he was always so bad at it that she saw straight through him,

"-as soon as he found _us_" he resigns and sighs, falling on the couch looking very sorry.

"Ah, fucking knew it. Fucking Effy," She deadpans, "I was there twice Freddie, or did you just give up the first time and went off your merry way with her whilst your best-friend and business partner was left trolling the streets of London injured!"

Freddie looks horrified, "You weren't were you? On the streets alone limping home?"

Naomi regards his face white at the gills, "No. Luckily Emily was with me."

* * *

><p>Across the street, Emily had abandoned her wheelchair at the foot of the steps to the house and certainly didn't think about dragging it inside.<p>

She unlocks her front door as usual with her left hand and steps into her hallway, closes the door and sighs with relief at being home. The inconvenience of her painful injuries instantly feeling more at ease.

"Effy?" she tries.

She hears casual footsteps above her on the landing and seconds later sees pale, homogenously thin legs descending the carpeted stairs, followed by a knot of ropey brown hair framing an equally pale unmoved face and steely blue eyes.

"You're alive then."

"Yeah. Just."

Effy helps Emily up the stairs of their two-roomed, two-storey house without having to be asked. She helps the petite red-head all the way to her room and her then bed, letting them both collapse on it.

Emily sighs in satisfaction and lets her crutches drop to the floor.

"Does it hurt?" Effy asks monotonously as she gently lifts Emily's hand in the air as well as her own body. From her new position she observes the bandages and some slight reddening and places a tender lingering kiss on each of Emily's five knuckles, watching her gulp and shake her head.

"Did Naomi kiss you better too?" she husks.

"Fuck off Effy." She retracts her hand from the thin fingers like she's been burnt a second time today, "I'm not playing you're games, I'm Emily remember?"

Effy smirks and lies back down next to her friend, "Have you fucked her yet?"

"No! I haven't!" Emily scoffs appalled, "Unlike you, I don't fuck the neighbors four weeks after they move in."

"You want to though. You wish you had the balls like me and just fuck her like you said you would."

Emily rubs her face with her good hand, willing away the annoying, all-knowing presence beside her. "Not again Ef, please."

"Fine. I'm just trying to get you to go after what you want for once." Effy glides off the bed and out of Emily's room, leaving her to suffocate in her own oppressing thoughts. Emily lets out a short scream of frustration and hits herself in the leg.

Effy reappears not too long after with a lit spliff and a full bottle of Jack Daniels. Effy exhales sauntering towards Emily's bed, with the red head now watching her propped on her elbows. Effy lazily places the spliff in Emily's mouth and then takes a few large gulps of fiery amber liquid, gasping when she's finished and hands that to Emily too.

"Drink up," she says, "You need to get ready for this _party_, a little bird told me that Naomi will be there despite her injuries. And _you're _going to go because _I_ want to watch all the fun stuff happen." Effy kneels in front of Emily's legs and starts to quickly unbutton the red-heads' jeans.

Emily's breath hitches shakily and her hips buck off the bed, "Effy! Wha-?"

The thin brunette rises and smirks down at the smaller girl, "Jesus, you really do need a good fuck. I can't believe you haven't since-"

"Get out Effy." Emily is stern now that she is sitting up properly.

"I'm going." Effy rolls her eyes and takes the spliff back off Emily and leaves, but not before pausing at the doorway to throw Emily further into despair and unease,

"Get ready Em."

* * *

><p>"This is the least you can do <em>Freddie!<em>"

Naomi and Freddie are stationary outside of an off-license bickering like an old-married couple.

"That's exactly what you said about helping you shower!" the tanned-man explains exasperated. "Which, I might add, was not an experience I'd like to repeat. I can't believe you made me _shave _you!"

Naomi just screams back at him twice as loud and shrill, but emphasizes each syllable in such a condescending manner, "I'm fucking temporarily disabled Frederick! I'm not used to only having the sole use of _one_ arm and _one_ leg. How else was I supposed to get ready to go to this party _you_ so very much want to go to?"

Freddie bites his tongue and looks at his extremely pissed of friend, "But I've already helped you pick out an outfit for like two hours, while you couldn't decide how much cleavage you would have to show to turn Emily gay."

She whacks him in the leg with her crutch, "You fucking owe me Freddie!"

"Ow, shit! Alright, alright. I'll get it for you." Freddie slumps towards the shop door but before going in says,

"You know most people get like Ice Cream or something after a hospital visit."

There is a pause where Naomi considers him,

"Go on then"

"Go on then what?"

"I'll have an ice cream too thanks."

Freddie laughs a little at his friend until he sees the stony, unimpressed expression on her face. He sighs and shakes his head and walks in the shop.

He grabs a Magnum from the freezer and approaches the man at the counter and eyes the liquor behind him, places the ice cream on the counter and says,

"And the largest bottle of vodka you have please mate."

Freddie is pushing a pacified, at least for the moment, Naomi down the steadily growing quieter streets of London towards Panda and Thomas' house. Naomi is well on her way to tipsy after necking her "medicine" at an impressive rate, especially because she is mixing it with her medication. She briefly wonders as she sucks on the bottle if Doctor Payne would approve, but this only makes her think of Emily and the nice (despite all the farce) afternoon they had together. And then her belly-aches.

The summer sun is setting slowly, casting long shadows onto golden streets and makes Naomi's usually pale skin appear as if it is glowing. She briefly wonders how herself and Freddie got so lucky with their move to this perfect place with its perfect neighbors. She couldn't have wished for anything more opposite to where they were a year ago, six months ago even. She feels happier. Less alone, less lonely. She breathes the sweet night air, guzzling it and remembering this feeling. She feels like sharing it with Freddie but when she looks up to squint at his upside down face, he looks tired and worn and more concerning to her; anxious. This isn't her Freddie and she has a few ideas as to where he's gone. She wants him back.

She makes a noise to grab his attention and holds the vodka bottle straight in the air, waving it about and nearly poking him in the eye with it.

Freddie laughs and says, "No thanks, shouldn't drink and drive."

Naomi shrugs, "Amen".

The silence now being broken, Naomi tries to prise her friend open,

"So." Clears her throat, "Anything going on with you that you wanna talk about, like anything with Effy?"

Freddie looks forlorn, "Nothing much to say Nai."

"Are you sleeping with each other?"

Freddie nods but looks uncomfortable.

"Well that's a good thing right? I mean I _assume_ that is what you want but I'm not actually that sure because my best-friend won't talk to me about this kind of stuff anymore."

"I know. I'm sorry, I've been shit."

He continues, "It's just, I didn't want to tell you about us because, things are a bit, well fucked up really, and every time I've wanted to talk to you about it, like, confide in you, I already know exactly what you'd say to me."

"Using the power of educated guess-work Freds, am I right in thinking you two aren't even official?"

Freddie sighs again, trundling himself and Naomi down the road, "She hasn't…specified."

"That's what I thought. So therefore I'd say she's well and truly fucking with you."

"That's what I thought you'd say"

"And what's worse," Naomi tells him seriously, "is that you're doing what Old Freddie did, you're _letting _her."

"Which is the exact reason why I didn't want to talk to you about it. Because you'd tell me _that_. You'd tell me the thing I'm most afraid of hearing."

"Christ Freds. You can't be that person any more; you can't do this to yourself. Remember what Old Freddie was like? You were too full-on, you let them all the way in straight away so they could fuck you up where it really hurt."

"I know, I know, I know I'm wrong. But it's happened and I can't stop it, and I've just needed to talk to you about it for so long. I thought I could ignore it or handle it but-"

"Shit. You love her."

Freddie bites his lip and sighs, looking anywhere but the top of his friends' blonde head.

"And it's just so hard sometimes. I don't where she is or what she wants. She's so fucking hot and cold all the time! And now I'm just so afraid-"

"Freds! It's alright, ok? We'll just figure it out together, like we used to."

"I'm sorry Nai. I tried to take it slow, to make sure you know? Believe me when I say I never wanted you to have to pick up the pieces ever again."

Naomi's face darkens at a few memories as she hears Freddie speak again,

"I really did try to do what we agreed on."

* * *

><p>Effy is waiting for the red-head outside of the cab they is sharing to go to Panda and Thomas'. Emily had said she would be right down, when Effy called her from downstairs to say their lift had arrived, And sure enough Emily is soon closing their front door behind her and descending their stairs as carefully as she can using her new crutches.<p>

Effy smiles when she looks her friend up and down and then whistles before drawling, "very fuckable." Even to Effy, the red-head looks jaw-droppingly stunning with her efforts for the party. Her shocking cherry hair is straightened but parts are styled into a cool quiff to draw attention to the sultry, smoky effect her eyes have. Full red lips stand out from the all black clothing she is wearing; tight wet-look leggings, her smallest skirt that she thinks makes her arse look fantastic and a curve hugging vest that shows off how very fuckable her body can be.

Emily ignores her friend as they get into the cab. Effy had crossed a line earlier, hit a nerve, pushed her buttons for too long and Emily needs to let her to know. Thinking the cold shoulder will do for now Emily tells the driver their destination and continues to resolutely ignore the smirking brunette sipping on a hip flask whilst they coast through the streets of London. But true to Effy's character, she pushes Emily's buttons further, reveling in action,

"Lets just hope _Naoms_ thinks so eh? It's a wonder you haven't frigged yourself stupid by now."

The elasticity of Emily's patience and grace snaps,

"You are a _bitch,_ Effy. You've always known it, I've always known it, but you've never been a bitch _to me._ So why now? Why are you suddenly so interested in what I do with Naomi? You've never bothered with me before in the slightest, you've always made a point in letting me figure things out for myself, doing things in _my_ own time."

Effy stops drinking and raises an eyebrow to Emily who turns more in her seat to glower at her friend, she's not finished with her yet,

"Shall I tell you what I think? I think you're lashing out because one day Freddie will find out just how much of _bitch_ you are and you're so afraid he will because he's the only person in a long time to ever make you feel _anything_."

"Shut up."

"No. Don't you, don't you fucking dare. You're such a hypocrite Elizabeth!"

The taxi pulls up outside the house and Effy throws some money at the driver before escaping. Emily exits the taxi too and grabs her thin wrist,

"You're telling me to go after what I want when you yourself know it's not that simple. You want Freddie but your fucking him around because you're afraid of what it will mean if you take a chance."

"No. No."

"At least _you_ know how he feels. _I_ don't even know if Naomi likes me like that. I don't even know if she's gay!" she shouts exasperated, wants to shake her friend, "Why are you throwing this greatness away? Why are you deliberately hurting him?"

Effy looks genuinely disgusted at herself before her eyes harden to their natural stony state, ""It's easier having people hate me than love me."

Effy moves away and enters the house, leaving the door open in her wake for Emily. Emily sighs and follows the sound of people and music inside, closes the door behind her not before saying quietly to herself, "Poor fucking Freddie."

* * *

><p>"So what we need Fred's is a plan!" They can see Panda and Thomas' house a few houses down, as well as hear a low thumping bass line of the music emanating from it. It gives Naomi goosebumps.<p>

"We need to find out what her intentions are, tonight! I'll do it, I'll interrogate her, I mean talk to her."

Naomi can't help but feel that she'd sound more serious and considerate to Freddie's situation if she wasn't so drunk. Freddie knows she means every word.

"Also, what did you mean _turn_ Emily gay, we don't even know if she's truly straight yet. Unless you know something I don't?"

"No no I don't know much, Effy hardly talks about her, when ever we actually do talk, and that is not often, too busy-"

"Kay! Do _not_ wanna know!"

Freddie sniggers despite the mess he's found his heart in again,

"Well that can be a part of the plan too! Tonight Nai, we find out once and for all if Emily is gay!"

The couple cheer and giggle as they approach the final few feet of the front door.

Naomi spots a sandy haired man in a dirty polo shirt and scruffy trousers smoking a cigarette outside the house leaning against the low wall. She also spots he's staring at her. She sends him a quick scowl and waits for Freddie to get back from ringing the doorbell to the house.

From the corner of her eye she sees the scruffy looking man flick his fag away and swagger towards her, before she can roll her eyes and send him away with a quip laced with irritation he offers one of his own,

"Did it 'urt?"

"Excuse me?"

"When you fell from 'eaven. Looks like it did" he gestures grinning to her wheelchair.

"Tosser."

"If you're offering babe."

Naomi looks mortally offended, "Freddie! Get me away from this prick!"

Freddie looks behind his shoulder and can't help but think he's rescuing the sandy-haired boisterous man from Naomi and not the other way around.

"See you later wheels!" the man calls whilst laughing like a drain.

Freddie pushes open the door but closes his eyes as knows the backlash that's about to happen, "Wheels? That's so fucking rude, I'm temporarily disabled!"

"Yeah? Why don't you let the Cookie Monster show you how _Able-Bodied_ you can be?" he retorts whilst thrusting his pelvis suggestively, tongue wagging like a sly wolf.

"Eugh! Dick!" Freddie takes this as his cue to swiftly take Naomi inside, leaving the scruffy man to cackle to himself as he lights another cigarette outside.

* * *

><p><strong>Push the button and let me know, before I get the wrong idea and go... bit o' Sugarbabes for you there. It means please review, I like them and the encouragement :D<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello :)**

**It's been a month, I'm sorry! But I do have an excuse involving a loved one in hospital, so I'm sure you can understand how distracted (can't think of a more appropriate word right now so it will have to do) I've been from writing. **

**However! Here it is, The Party! I do hope you like it and I would love to know your thoughts :) Apologies for any mistakes, I just wanna post this sucker now and let you lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely! lot read it :D**

**Also, how many ace stories are on here right now? Fantastic stuff.**

**Eeeeep nervous about this one... please enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Emily. Emily. Emily. Where the hell is <em>_Emily__?_

Naomi is trundling around Panda and Thomas' booming house party to the best of her ability whilst keeping her senses alert for a hint of red or a curl of deliciously husky laughter.

When her and Freddie arrived they quickly looked, in what they could only guess, was the living room as it had obviously been transformed into an impromptu dance floor. Neither of them could spot either of the women they were searching for and so then tried the kitchen.

Alas, they only found a few very drunk people doing body shots off of each other. Naomi had boisterously shouted her approval of the group's activities but still ordered Freddie to back her out of the kitchen and sent him away with a smack on the arse for luck when he suggested he go _upstairs_ to look for the girls.

This left Naomi on her own mission to search for her mysterious red-head.

She is about to attempt to propel herself along with her injured wrist, even though she is heavenly intoxicated, when Thomas makes his presence known from beside her, his greeting is friendly;

"Naomi! So glad you came! How are you? Not in too much pain I hope, I'm so sorry-"

"It's OK, really." Naomi drunkenly waves his exclamations off, smiling lazily at him, "Let us commence our proper greetings afresh. Hi Thomas, I'm Naomi. Great party!" _Why do I sound like a posh twat when I'm wasted?_

Thomas beams at her and looks astoundingly grateful at her understanding and maturity. Naomi is passed being fawned over, she just wants this night to be as normal as possible and for everyone to treat her as such.

"Hello Naomi. So glad to meet you. Come, let me show you my house."

Naomi gladly accepts even though she only really came to the party to be with one person in particular, but it's good to be polite and warm to the friends of your favourite person. With this in mind she zealously nods and makes the universally accepted noises of agreeing with your fellow man when she allows Thomas to give her a tour of "Casa Whacker". He explains how he and Panda agreed on their particular house and the process of their various design choices they made together. Naomi finds herself listening eagerly as he shares more and more of his life and eventually how he and Panda had met and fallen in love. Thomas speaks with such sincere deep affection for his girlfriend that Naomi can't help but instantly adore him, even in light of the fact that by day he protects someone very precious to her.

The smile in his words makes the joy he feels from living in a house with the love of his life obvious and sobering. The sentiments make Naomi's eyes water when she thinks about them too hard, she can tell that Panda and Thomas' relationship is beautiful, but it is her own ache to have the same thing with a certain someone that makes the whole thing to her, in this moment in time, tauntingly tragic.

Apparently sensing a lull in Naomi's previously animated drunken chatter with him; Thomas takes the initiative to direct Naomi outside to the garden for some fresh air. They are in the doorway to the back garden when they both see Panda talking softly and reassuringly to a bandaged petite woman with fiery red hair.

Naomi gasps when she sees her, not only does she look insanely beautiful tonight, but the blonde starts to perspire at the sight of her looking so… _sexy._

She can't help but stare and then stare some more for good measure, taking in everything about her. How she holds herself, how amazing she looks in tight clothing, how hot she looks when she's pissed off. _Wait, Emily's pissed off…?_

"Look there she is now!" Thomas points to Panda excitedly, "Oh and she's talking to Emily. Poor Emily; she looks upset. I wonder what is wrong-"

Before Thomas can finish his concerned musings Naomi propels herself towards the pair, preparing herself to offer any kind of service to Emily that will make her feel better.

As she gets close enough she notices a nearly empty Jack Daniels bottle in the redhead's hand and that she's almost propped up on Panda. Naomi's worrying makes her grab her attention,

"Hey Emily," the redhead's previous dark expression when she was talking solemnly to Panda wavers as she hears the familiar angelic voice, she sees Naomi staring up at her with unconcealed concern. The blonde notices that Emily looks as though she is about to cry for a second until the redhead breaks into a small smile instead and sways on the spot.

"Hey" she replies shockingly huskily.

Naomi's eyes close involuntarily at the sound, internally chastising herself for liking it so much, when its clear her voice sounds like that because she's so upset.

"You alright Em?"

Panda and Thomas move away from them altogether, probably to mingle with more people. Leaving Naomi and Emily alone at the side of the modest garden. There are others; Panda and Thomas' friends, drinking and laughing and smoking whilst they sit huddled together on various pieces of garden furniture, unaware of the fragile conversation being took place by two fragile women.

Emily sighs wearily and slumps backwards so she's relying heavily on a wall.

She concentrates on lighting a spliff Naomi didn't know she had before she answers her much too beautiful friend,

"You know that's the first time someone's asked me that?"

"What today?"

"Tonight."

Naomi blinks while she considers Emily's answer, not fully believing it,

"Well answer it then. You alright?"

Emily wishes she was far drunker than her current state, and then maybe she'd have the courage to say the things that definitely needed to be said. She smokes a second more as the wrong words enter her head. _No. I'm having the worst time of my life. I'm shit and Effy is even worse._

Eventually she has to look into Naomi's arresting eyes,

"Yeah. I'm Ok. Just, hurting, or something."

Naomi frowns as she thinks she means her injuries and so remembers something from her journey over. She reaches into a compartment in her chair and gallantly brandishes Emily with the Magnum Freddie bought earlier.

"Here, you're supposed to have Ice Cream after a hospital visit and I don't think you got one." Naomi slurs and waves the ice cream around a bit as if it would make her story more credible.

Emily smiles fully for the first time that night and regards Naomi bravely, properly looking at this glorious woman, bandaged and cute and giving her an ice cream because she wants to make her feel better.

Emily reaches out for it dreamily,

"I'm sorry if it's melted…" Naomi suddenly rambles, horrified that her gift will not be quite so lovely liquefied.

"No, no. It's perfect." Emily giggles, "Thank you."

_Thank God you're here Naomi. Ironically, __**you**__ make everything go away._

Naomi hums in satisfaction at making Emily smile.

To Emily it feels as though she is constantly thinking about the possibility of her and Naomi, the when, the how, the if. What if she wasn't ready? What if Naomi didn't want her like that?

She needs to shut her brain up. She's always known this; she's her own worst enemy at times. She swears other people don't think and over analyse this much, envy's them too. Well, maybe Effy, but she seems to handle it. _Yeah fucking right._ But it cannot be denied that Effy makes decisions and drives to make actions, sets things in motion and never looks back. Moves are made and she lives with them.

Emily hasn't moved in four years.

Emily wonders that all the doubt she feels with her dreams is her own concoction, she is consumed by thinking she's poison, crippling herself and not stopping to realise that maybe Naomi is the cure.

She can no longer deny that Naomi – beautiful, bright, warm, funny, fuckable, cute, modest, smart, adorable, sexy, honest, loving, pure Naomi has moved her in ways she hasn't been able to do for herself in such a long time. She thinks that it must be wrong that Naomi has made her feel immeasurably more alive in these past couple of months then Emily has ever tried to be in four motionless years. In secret she thinks it could be that she was supposed to.

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"I'm serious! Stop laughing!" Naomi tries and fails at getting Emily to cease guffawing at what is supposed to be a heart-wrenching story about a poor sixteen year old Naomi being subjected to the harsh realities of communal living by her batty mother and her numerous strays.

But she doesn't have the heart or inclination to actually make her stop, not when she is able to behold the magnificence of a happy Emily. And in such close proximity. From her position sitting in her wheelchair, with Emily _sitting on her lap!_ she can see the movement of each minute muscle in her brilliant neck as she stretches it to fully express her mirth.

She can feel the curves of her perfect behind fit between her thighs, especially when the red-head can't help but bounce up and down to a song she particularly likes. Naomi notices a lot of the songs Emily hears are her favourite.

She sees surprisingly long legs drape over the armrest and dangle cutely off the side. Naomi hasn't been able to help brush them accidentally when her hand goes to steady the wheel. A few times.

She swears she can feel a feminine hand sometimes ghost across her shoulder and up her neck to finger the small soft blonde hairs at the nape. The thought and the sensation makes her breath hitch every time and a ripple of pleasure so sharp to move through her entire body and settle somewhere so sensitive it causes her to squirm.

Thomas is responsible. _Eugh! Not like that!_ Emily had finished her ice cream and they were enjoying the night together talking and laughing and gradually getting more and more pissed. _Mmm love-drunk…_ Thomas had come back outside to tend to his guests when he complained good-naturedly that Emily looked so drunk she was about to fall over and suggested she sit down immediately. But he caught their predicament when he realised that indeed, there were so seats available. Which is when he divinely suggested Emily sit on Naomi. Sit on Naomi's lap.

Which she did. And Naomi has never seen her so close up before. Or so unguarded for that matter. The alcohol and smoke she consumes is seemingly making Emily forget that she never asks Naomi about the things that should matter. But all of a sudden tonight, Emily is interested in Naomi's background and is asking all sorts of questions about the kind of family she has and Emily asks for all the clues that will tell her why it is Naomi is the person she sees.

Of course Emily has always wanted to know, she has just never asked, never wanted to. Now it is like someone has turned the tap of her pressurized curiosity and all manner of thoughts and desires are gushing out. Her inebriated state has dissolved all of the focus it takes to keep herself in control. All she can focus on now is the pale blue of Naomi's animated eyes as she talks about her other life once spent in Bristol. The redhead is also immensely attentive to the fact that the whole of Emily's left side is pressed completely to Naomi's front.

She loves submerging herself in the feeling so much she nearly misses Naomi's beautiful voice pulling her back to the surface,

"What about you Ems? Do you get to see your family much?"

_Fuck it_. Naomi thinks. _She's already way gone and so am I._ She cautiously but boldly places her hand that had been subtly brushing Emily's leg when ever she got the chance, to rest it on the red-head's thigh, just above the knee and starts tapping a random beat with her fingers so as to make it OK.

The beautiful blonde continues slurring wondrously, "They live in Bristol still, I assume. That's where you went to college right? What was that like?"

Naomi looks up at Emily for her answer and she sees she has her eyes closed and is biting her lip quite hard for some reason.

Emily eventually opens her eye, followed by the other and releases her lip making it twang and swell. Naomi gulps silently as Emily shrugs off the inquisition,

"Not much to tell. None of it really matters," she says rather darkly. Although Naomi is sadly oblivious tonight,

"Doesn't matter?" she scoffs, "Of course it bloody does! That's what makes people who they are yeah?"

"I'm lots of things Naomi." The fiery red-head answers hotly,

Naomi looks a little bewildered but has all the same given up trying to get blood out of a stone for now.

"Alright." The blonde dead pans, "I'll only ask the _important_ questions then."

Emily sighs, exhausted trying to protect herself. Although she's seriously considering whether she's actually doing the opposite these days. It only seems to hurt when she keeps things from the blonde.

But she is sated when she hears Naomi blurt, "What's your favourite colour?"

Emily laughs heartily at Naomi's "important" question and plays along. "Blue." She replies. Naomi seems satisfied and sarcastically surprised that she got an actual answer for once.

"What is your favourite food?" she tries again and smiles huge when Emily giggles and answers without missing a beat,

"Anything Italian."

"How many TVs do you have in your house?"

Emily chuckles at the strange question but answers promptly anyway, "three…"

"What's your favourite planet?"

"Mars!" Emily laughs.

"Favourite book?"

Emily smirks and raises an eyebrow, smug with her own cleverness at not falling for Naomi's, lets be honest, obvious trick. The blonde looks as annoyed and exasperated as she did the first time she was fooled, in the shop, what seems like many mornings ago.

"Ugh, for God's-sake!" Naomi playfully slaps Emily's knee at still not having the answer to a very intriguing question.

"Better luck next time." The red-head sings with a cheeky wink.

Naomi is about to try another technique of interrogation, _Friends tickle each other right?_ But out of the corner of her eye she sees Freddie excitedly bound towards her with Effy sauntering in tow. Freddie's eyes are indicating it's time to put their well-thought out plan into action, so he skillfully coerces Emily into accompanying him to the kitchen, under the guise of fetching drinks for the four of them from the kitchen. He gives Naomi a subtle thumbs-up as he goes inside. Naomi is left alone with Effy and she can now begin a _different_ sort of interrogation.

The blonde gazes into steely blue eyes and steels _herself –_ she knows how to handle girls like Effy, she's sorry to say that a short while ago her and Effy had more in common other than blue orbs and dry wit.

Naomi decides to just get right down to it, clears her throat showily, "What are your intentions with my best friend?"

Annoyingly, Effy looks as though she was prepared for this exact moment. She looks so unsurprised that she could have put those words into the blonde's mouth herself. All she does is fold her arms and look blissfully unaffected. _As fucking usual._

Naomi's hackles are up but she continues, "Well, no offense," _Oh please __take__ offense, _"Freddie is a great man, and he really likes you a lot," Naomi swallows the bad taste in her mouth, "so just be careful with him. You seem like the kind of girl who doesn't really _do commitment_," she air-quotes; God knows why and now she feels like a twat in front of the waif again. She carries on, "and I wouldn't want to see my best mate-" _crushed, _"-let down… by your …whorish nature."

Naomi had tried to choose her words carefully but then decided that if Effy is intimidated by a glimpse of the bitch that was Old Naomi, then maybe she will think twice about messing Freddie around.

Alas, this only seems to add fuel to the roaring fire, making a smirking Effy say, "I hope hypocrisy isn't too long a word for you to understand Naomi, but you see all this talk about my "Whorish Nature" is a little rich coming from you. Now that I know about _your_ reputation Naomikins."

Naomi swears she can feel all the of blood in her head rush away, but doesn't explain the fact that her whole face suddenly feels like its been branded with white hot heat from the inside. "Wha-what…are you talking about?" she croaks.

"Oh just that this evening Freddie mentioned that you never really had a serious relationship with a- uh… with a person" Effy quips pointedly, "you're a bit of a fuck 'em and leave 'em kinda gal." Naomi wonders briefly if it is possible to pickle in your own shame. Naomi and Freddie had tried to get information out of Effy tonight, and instead Effy knows certain things about her than she would ever want anyone to know. Especially Emily. _Oh fuck_. "Yeah, he told me that you're quite the charmer, a real heartbreaker."

A blonde head shakes, there's no point in correcting the brunette. Naomi knows who she _was_ but she also knows that ever since moving into Starbooks she's become a better person. She wants to be, so she's changed. Evidence supporting this is that she hasn't slept with anyone since moving into the shop. Truth be told she doesn't want to sleep with _anyone_. Apart from Emily.

Since the move her eyes and affections have solely been trained on the beautiful red-head from across the street. Naomi is completely swept away by her and she is finding it surprisingly easy not to revert to her old ways by rushing things for a quick fix. It's as if her very core knows that Emily should be treated differently, theirs is a relationship that must be nurtured and prized. She would do anything to keep Emily, in any which way, even if they are destined to be forever friends. What Effy knows and what Effy could reveal to Emily could change everything. And its scaring the crap out of her.

The blonde gulps, throat feels arid, "So, have you told Emily?"

"What would I have told Emily?" the cruel brunette teases,

"Enough Effy. We both know you're a smart girl. Aside from my…past, I know you knew I was gay the minute you saw me," Naomi tests, pretty sure she's never needed to out herself to Effy. She's never really dared to think about that prospect before. _A problem buried is a problem solved…_ Her thoughts are confirmed and she presses on when Effy still looks unmoved.

"So why haven't you told her yet?"

Effy shrugs, "I don't make a habit out of involving myself in other people's lives. I think a more interesting question is why _you_ haven't told her yet."

The brunette's high and mighty smirk is really starting to piss Naomi off.

Naomi rubs her uninjured hand through her blonde tresses, then stresses, "I don't know, it just hasn't come up. She…_we_ don't talk about that kind of thing." She realises she sounds utterly pathetic in front of the irritatingly all-knowing girl.

Naomi thinks Effy sighs but she could be wrong, "Well she wouldn't would she?"

Naomi's heart leaps at these words and the possibility of finally venturing into territory not yet chartered; Emily's past. Emily's mysteries. She must try to get Effy to tell her. She _has_ to know.

She whispers and she cant help it, it's her naturally trying to play it cool, coolly pry, "why not Effy?"

Effy produces a metallic cigarette case and lights up something too small to be a joint, looks intently at Naomi's pleading eyes, "Emily hasn't had a relationship since before we moved here. Since college." Naomi's eyes now look like they could ping out of her pretty head. Effy pushes away the feeling that Naomi's look is annoying. "To get away from all the bullshit."

Naomi can tell that the last part sounds practiced, like Effy reminds herself of it everyday.

Digging a little deeper Naomi asks, "So the bullshit was to do with an Ex in college? Is that why she moved?" Just a little more Naomi thinks excitedly. She also can't help but feel a little niggling sick feeling that Emily should be the one telling her this. That would be better, that would be right. But she is so close to some desired answers about the red-head that she only prays that Effy will keep revealing them.

Effy shrugs again as she stares at the cigarette between her bony digits, "It was lots of stuff. As well as Katie giving her a hard time." For a second Effy thinks she may have said too much, but doesn't give this away in her countenance. She speaks so monotonously that she couldn't reveal anything that tone would.

Naomi can practically taste the finish line, she is unrestrained, "Is Katie her Ex?"

The blonde then witnesses the most amount of emotion she has ever seen from the brunette when she throws her cigarette to the ground in utter exasperation, "I'm bored of your ignorance Naomi, go and find your _friend_." Effy promptly skulks away with a last eye-roll directed at the blonde, who is left with a reeling mind and even more questions about her Emily than before.

_I'm far too drunk for this,_ Naomi surmises as she can feel tears threatening to spill from the exhaustion of it all.

She makes the decision to find Emily, to just be around her to make herself feel better. She has that effect. She doesn't think she can handle asking any more questions only to have them rejected. Emily and rejection in the same idea makes her stomach gurgle and churn uncomfortably.

Naomi manages to get her self into the house and roam around hazily without hurting her hand too much. She's about to see if Emily is in the lounge when she is purposefully stopped at the entrance by a pair of legs in the way, of which she recognizes to be the incredibly annoying and rude man she was terribly propositioned by on the way into the party. She screams in agitation, which is henceforth ignored by the sandy haired man now bent down to her eye level.

"Alright Blondie?" he chuckles roguishly, "Now I won't keep yah, you look like a woman on a mission, all I wanna know is if you've seen me bird around?"

Naomi makes a face as to indicate he should continue with a description of his "bird"; not being able to justify actually wasting her breath asking such a painfully obvious question because this cretin failed to have the brains to provide her with such vital information.

The rogue catches on, grins with all his teeth as he explains, "Great tits, mint arse, fit skinny bird, you seen her? Where's she at? Been tryin' to find her all night." He scratches his head.

Naomi wonders why any woman in their right mind would want to shag this repugnant man, he couldn't make a girl feel all right if he stapled his tongue to their clit and stood on a cement mixer. She snorts at her own joke and receives a weird look from the man. She scowls at him then before answering, "No I have no idea who she is or where she is so would you _please_ step to the side so I may pass? Thank you!" She puts on a sickly sweet smile as fake as his Fred Perry polo shirt.

He howls and moves away for her to escape but just before she reaches the entrance she sees the gorgeous girl she's always looking for hurrying out of it, her mobile clutched in her hand and pressed to her face. She seems distressed again, much to Naomi's concern.

"What? I can't hear you…But…I…Katie…I want-"

Emily nearly trips over Naomi as she tries to flee the party. She whirls around and looks guilty for not seeing her in the way or for blatantly being about to leave without saying goodbye, Naomi isn't sure which is the answer.

However Emily sees the sandy haired man and nearly drops her phone, "What the fuck are you doing here?" she squeaks.

Naomi could have broken her neck with the speed at which she moves her head back and forth between Emily and the rogue.

"Eh up Red! Lookin' fit _as_ mate!" he lays on. He doesn't mess about however, set on finding what he's looking for, "Where is she then?"

Emily is flustered, caught between her phone conversation, the man's clear intent and Naomi's confused and imploring gaze. Emily panics and heads for the front door, "I don't know!" she almost shouts at the wolfish man. Undeterred he simply tuts and leaves the already fleeing red-head and the baffled blonde.

"Emily! Where are you going?" Naomi calls meekly.

Emily just looks pained and sad and it confuses the hell out of the blonde. She tries to beg her with her eyes to stay. _Don't go, I want you here. I want to understand you._

Emily looks down at her own shoes, shakes her head so slightly before turning around and walking towards the front door, ignoring the blonde and sighing into her phone,

"Yeah I'm coming. I'll get a cab and see you there. Yeah…Love you too." And then she leaves the party.

It's not like a slap in the face; the door slamming shut. More like the torturously slow traverse of ice down a once warm neck. Cold trickles through her entire body ending in her belly making it bubble and ache. The tears she had held back feel ready to cascade and she suddenly wants to see Freddie.

The fact that she has spent most of the party looking for someone doesn't elude her as she turns herself around and makes her chair move forward.

She's keeping it together until she sees her best friend. She's almost at the kitchen, her progress slowed somewhat by drunk and giddy people milling, grinding, and dancing all around her and the house, clueless to her crushing mood. But then she is completely shocked into place by what she sees next, right there in front of her; the rogue skipping excitedly towards a skinny brunette girl with her back to him at the counter. The girl is fixing a drink and when she turns around it's Effy looking surprised and then suddenly being kissed and kissing the ecstatic sandy haired man, "There you are, my girl." He says gripping her tightly around the backside and kissing her hungrily, possessively again.

Naomi can't believe it. She wants to throw up. She wants to throttle the fucking bitch. She wants to scream at her until her throat is raw. She can't believe the lies and the deceit and the audacity of her having done this to Freddie. _Poor fucking Freddie._ She can't watch, she can't let Freddie see. She has to find him and control this. This horrible thing.

Her heart is breaking for sweet Freddie as she turns herself around and frantically whips her head around every which way to catch him, barely hearing Effy say, "Cook! What the fuck are you doing here?". Not a lot is right about tonight, and now her heart is in her throat as she watches Freddie bound down the stairs, unawares and smiling when he sees the blonde.

"Freddie! Wait don't-"

He gets closer and sees the hurt written on his friends' face and all it takes is for him to look up, to see the couple in the kitchen for his own face to mutate into a thousand times the crippling anguish. Naomi watches aghast as her best friends' heart ruptures and tears right before her eyes.

She sniffs and breathes, "Freddie." She takes his shaking hands in hers, her voice cracks then, "She has a boyfriend."

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Everyone left hours ago she realises. This much is clear, party's over. As clear as the mauve sky bringing a new day and as over as the moon.

Tiredness overwhelms her as she jumps from the wall she was climbing over and trudges through Panda and Thomas' back garden, getting to the house the back way.

She senses Effy's temper before she sees her. She's sitting on the table smoking and looking wild, like an injured beast about to lash out in vain because of hurt pride.

She thinks she can smell the disdain in her voice when she gets closer,

"Look at the lap-dog running back, master had enough of you for the moment eh? Did you piss on the rug with excitement because you thought she loved you this time?"

"Fuck off Effy, she was still in town so she wanted to see me for a bit."

"Ha!" Effy rattles hollowly, "Was she _drunk_?" she flicks her cigarette butt in Emily's direction who missed it by an inch in her still plastered state.

Emily growls at the acerbic brunette menacingly, "I take it Freddie found out about Cook. Enjoy fucking your _boyfriend_ tonight while you think about how only a few hours ago you were with the one you really want. And can't be with again."

She's never wanted to be anything other than herself so much right now. She almost feels sorry or Effy. Almost.

The brunette grins a wicked grin as she swats a solitary tear from her bony cheek,

"I'm telling you Emsy, I don't know why you bother running around after her still, she doesn't want you. You're just too thick to see it." She looks her up and down as if her being there, small and shivering, is painful.

Emily's heart thuds sickeningly as she think that Effy could mean Naomi. But she is proven wrong,

"Naomi however! _She_ is a mystery I think I will finally unveil to you." She drawls dangerously.

"Shut up Effy, I'm going home. Sort your own shit out." She moves to leave, not yet passed the thin girl,

"Wait Emsy!" she laughs, "I thought you wanted to know the _preferences_ of one Naomi Campbell! Wait, I'll tell you!" Effy gets off the table and stalks after her fleeing friend,

"Stop it Effy! I don't want to know!" Emily clamps her hands over her ears and moves more quickly,

Effy grabs her wrists getting angrier, frustrated, "Yes you do! You're just scared!" she's threatening Emily.

"Get off, stop it!" Emily tries to free herself desperately, she doesn't want to know, she _is_ scared. Petrified of the answer. She thinks she will die if the answer is they can never be together. She is terrified of everything that it will mean if they could.

"You have to stop being a coward Emily! You have to _do_ something!" Emily is crying and fighting and gasping as hot salty tears run freely down her face and neck. She thinks she knows, she thinks she's always known. She is helpless as Effy holds her hands strongly, helpless as Effy screams,

"She's gay Emily!"

Emily falls to her knees and cries harder shaking her head, her world is moving, things are changing and she can't stop it, "No! Leave me alone!" she feels like she's choking. Can't breathe. Her sobs are uncontrollable, inconsolable.

Effy sinks down to her level and shakes her until they meet eye to eye, "Emily look at me!" she shouts.

Flailing brown meets the wrong blue,

"She's gay."

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><p><strong>Truth. Boom. <strong>

**...Right? :P Hope you liked it, please review! Please. Fanxxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Told you I'd be faster :P **

**Maybe I should change this to Romance/Drama... amirghtamiright? ;) Cheers for the reviews I do like to know you're enjoying it and what you think of it. **

**If it helps, I know exactly where the story is going and everything will be explained all in due course, please enjoy the ride. **

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><p>Things have been horrible since the party. Freddie is a complete mess over what Effy did to him and Naomi is so angry at her hurting him this much (when she specifically asked her not to!) that it has taken a lot of will power she didn't know she possessed to not go over the road and violently rip the superior smirk off her annoying face. And she would have, if not for Freddie pleading with her to leave it alone, saying she will only make it worse. According to him Cook is a well known hard-man in these parts and had returned that night from a stretch in prison for GBH. Any advertisement about their affair (like Naomi beating the door down and screaming at Effy; "how could you fuck up my best friend?") would likely get Freddie into serious trouble. So Naomi conceded to let Freddie deal with it in the way he seemed fit. Which at the moment was to drink heavily, smoke weed heavily and hardly leave his room.<p>

A small upside that coincides with these recent events is that _Starbooks_ is suddenly becoming more popular. Naomi would usually get on Freddie's back about pulling his weight for the shop but Naomi is finding she is managing quite well on her own and being busy helps take her mind off Freddie's fucked up situation and also some of her own recent developments and confessions. Besides, having a liquored up stoner banging around the shop floor can misconstrue impressions to her many new regular customers. As well as having him spontaneously burst into tears a few times a day. He is better off left to his own devices upstairs for now.

However when the end of the day comes around and the shop is cleaned down and the money counted, Naomi can't escape her own petrifying thoughts that she tries to avoid by rushing herself off her feet in the shop or concentrating on fixing Freddie. She sleeps restlessly because her mind is reeling, constantly barraging her with thoughts of her neighbor. She has been trying to figure out this delicate dance they find themselves in and Naomi has turned to her writing countless times this week.

It is to be expected from a woman who owns her own shop filled with time's most beautiful works of literature, who's authors felt and lived as much she does; she is a closet writer of poetry and prose and stories and truths. The pages of her notebook are rapidly being filled with words pumped from her own aching organ as each slumberless night drifts into the early hours of the clearer day. She writes more and more about Emily and how much she wants her.

Emily has been…off with her since the party. She's always busy and blatantly avoiding her. Sometimes she puts it down to Emily being genuinely busy and maybe a little awkward about what happened. She might feel bad for not warning either of them about Cook and therefore too ashamed to show her face for a while. Dark as the night her thoughts can flip and turn on her and she worries herself that Effy has told her everything she knows. That Naomi is a gold-star muff-muncher and used to be a horrendous player to boot. Naomi can't sleep for worrying that Emily is plain and simply freaked by her now and just doesn't like her. Naomi is not the kind of person she thought she was and that's that. Naomi lied and she can't be forgiven.

Except that she didn't lie. She just never told the truth. But that was in the past and a more important truth is that Naomi is completely changed since owning _Starbooks_. She is now a person that she herself can be proud of and she'll be damned if anyone disagrees that she has never been anyone other than that when with Emily. _Emily _makes her into a better person.

_It's not like Emily is the picture of honesty and openness either, _she thinks trying to console herself. Naomi's mind is also congested by the traffic of information and revelations she discovered about the petite-redhead last week. She is alarmed by the amount of things she obviously keeps locked away, she is bothered that Emily doesn't want to tell her. Naomi writes about how she pines for the redhead to open up, she just wants to be closer to her. In an infinite number of ways.

She hasn't written about what she thinks is the worst situation; that Naomi senses that Emily is perhaps afraid of her. Naomi is convinced she can see an internal struggle in Emily's expressive brown orbs. She can see lightness and a person full of love, but they are all too quick to freeze into a hard coldness, deflecting any warmth that may dare to try and reach her. Naomi is afraid that the ice may be too old and thick to break through and that by Naomi trying to expose the Emily she's seen a few times, which will then allow the real Emily to be hers completely at last, is probably a lot more difficult and maybe impossible for her to do alone.

She's afraid that she will never get to know the girl, and worse still that Naomi will never be a significant part of Emily's life. She feels that the fight Emily is already battling within herself is far greater than Naomi will ever comprehend and that all she can do is wait whilst being the person she wants Emily to love. Just incase she ever can. But she doesn't know that answer yet. Ultimately, the ice must be thawed from within. But it's not going to stop the blonde from chipping away at it as best she can, exposing shard by shard what she trusts is the real Emily. Her Emily.

Naomi is in love with Emily, that much she has known since she first saw her. She falls deeper and deeper with every moment she spends with her and with every other detail she finds out about her. But it's awful, it's bad and it hurts. Because the more Naomi finds out about Emily the more Naomi can feel her resisting and pulling away, like Emily doesn't want her to know her. It kills her because really, she just wants to know a single answer, one that would enable her to move on and get over her if she can; one that can establish a final line or barrier between friendship and ultimately being the person that completes them in every way. But for now she can only carry on hoping, putting her stupid heart on the line trying to get to know her better, to know THE answer, but making it beat more strongly for Emily all the time until then. _What the hell am I doing?_ Naomi asks, it seems like she's setting herself up for one hell of a fall. The truth is she really can't help it when it comes to Emily. She loves her, she can't control that. She won't stop until she knows one hundred percent that they could never be together. But she can't think about that, it scares her too much. She tells herself she's happy with the way things are now, why can't she just stay like that and not risk the devastation? You can really love someone as a friend right? It would be enough? Except she knows it's not. She wants much more than that…

So with Freddie's massive depression and Emily professionally avoiding her Naomi has been filling the last couple of weeks since the party with work and getting to know her new customers. And buying Freddie booze from Panda who is always so apologetic when she sees Naomi. Apparently her brain isn't always on Planet Thomas and had the good grace to be sympathetic towards Freddie after she deducted (albeit quietly and with no word to Cook) what went on at her party.

When she doesn't sleep because of the red-head she writes or reads her favourite book over and over again, guzzling the words on the well worn and crinkly pages when it isn't on it's permanent home by her bedside. She finds comfort in the memorized themes and plots of the book, not only because they are so familiar but perhaps because, she wonders, they strangely mirror the drama in her own life.

Her only consolation in these troubling times with Emily is that the red-head still manages to find the time to drive the blonde to the hospital to get her bandages changed or a refill of her pain prescription. It makes Naomi think she still cares and that things are just going to be a bit awkward for a while. Naomi wishes the hospital could prescribe her a daily dose of Emily, as she is convinced there is no drug or medical marvel out there that will make her feel as well or as mended or even painless than an extended period of time spent with one Emily Fitch.

Alas, Emily drives her there, she gets her drugs and she drops her back off with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes and Naomi feels like she did when Emily left suddenly without saying goodbye that night. It makes her feel cold. So she sighs and lets her leave and lets her comeback in her own time. It's always going to be in Emily's own time. She wishes she could speed up the process.

There may be a distinct lack of communication. She decides the next time she gets her alone, she will get them to have a proper conversation, and get things back to how she wants them.

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Naomi is cleaning down for the day as Freddie emerges from his pit to tell her something that just might make her wish come true a lot earlier than she'd hoped,

"Hey buddy, you ok?" she asks quietly and carefully, thinking anything louder and more jovial would be extremely insensitive.

He nods once but doesn't smile, not since the party, "Just came to tell you; a bunch of us are going out tonight. Thomas DJs once a week at The Glass, thought we'd check it out."

She is a little taken aback by this suddenly sociable Freddie and she really can't be arsed with clubbing tonight after her busy week, but she goes along with whatever he needs.

"Yeah, cool. Sounds good." She looks at him questioningly, "So Panda and…?"

"Panda, Emily, Effy and Cook are coming with us." He says hollowly.

Now that isn't on. "What the fuck Freddie? You wanna go fucking dancing with them? Like she hasn't just ripped your heart out and shat on it?"

Her hands in mid air in a gesture that means she doesn't know what to do with him, "she's not fucking coming in here, I'll…I'll…" She doesn't know what she would actually do to Effy. So many fantasies have been played out in her mind about the most effective way of causing her extreme discomfort its hard for her to decide. She's thought of a few, all are equally as satisfying to the blonde.

"Leave it alone Naomi!" Freddie almost shouts, but then looks guilty towards the only person that has shown they truly care about him. So he carries on more softly, "We've got to keep up appearances yeah?"

Naomi has calmed down but sighs frustrated, "What the fuck has happened to us Fred's? It wasn't supposed to be this complicated."

Knowing full well that his blonde friend is referring to the unnerving possible threat of James Cook breaking down their door and breaking Freddie's knee-caps, all because Freddie had fallen in love with a beautiful girl next door.

He knows she's suffering too, having Emily avoiding her when they had just come so close has got to hurt. He knows hurt when he sees it, especially on Naomi. Moving to this place and starting their own business was supposed to right so many of their wrongs and give them a peaceful fresh start. Naomi is right, their life here is more complicated than they imagined it being.

His voice is flat and he shrugs apathetically, "I don't know Nai." He turns around and trudges back up the stairs to his room saying, "They'll be here at ten."

What little of the conversations she's had with him have all been like this the past two weeks; abrupt, to the point and devoid of emotion. Dragging her into his mess and making her think her problems are less significant is what hurts him too. But he couldn't stop it and he needs her right now, she's all he has.

Naomi watches him go up the stairs before throwing her cleaning cloth in anger down on the coffee bar.

"This is bullshit." She mutters to no one in particular.

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Panda is the first to arrive and Naomi greets her with a sloppy kiss on each cheek as Panda giggles her excited hellos and waves a bottle of Pinot Grigio in her face. Naomi decided earlier on that she would be well on her way to steaming before her guests arrived, not wanting to able to see Effy's smirk or Emily's sad eyes unless they were blurry. She also knows she is a happier drunk and she would need all the ammunition possible to not slap Effy in the face and wrestle her to the ground when she saw her.

Ushering Panda through the shop door she drunkenly swaggers to Freddie and Naomi's living area up the stairs, thinking it would be best to pre-drink in their lounge where it is comfier and where she can trust a known criminal not to steal from their register.

Panda giddily comments on how "whizzer" their house is as she bounces from room to room, not waiting for Naomi to offer her a tour she was about to suggest. She unceremoniously plants herself next to a monged-since-seven-O'clock-Freddie and exclaims that he has a "Whacker lot of weed!" From his lazy position on the couch he immediately offers her two's on the humongous spliff he is medicating himself on. She looks positively bursting with fun that Naomi can't help but laugh at the scene and thank her lucky stars that this bundle of energy would be joining them tonight.

Naomi is helping herself to the wine Panda brought and thus her fifth glass of wine that night when she hears the shop bell ring and the distinct, goose bump inducing tones of Emily's voice,

"Naoms? You in?"

Naomi silently curses as she feels caught unprepared and quickly puts the bottle down but carries her glass with her to face the start of this ridiculous charade.

She stumbles a bit on the last stair, having taken her support bandage off her ankle for the night and not being used to wearing such high heels. But she wanted to look good for Emily tonight and thinks she has succeeded when she catches the red-head looking her up and down and sees the red-head smile genuinely in what feels like ages.

The blonde straightens her black high waisted skirt and flutters her hands nervously for just a second on her tight sleeveless white blouse before purposefully striding towards the trio, deciding whom to address first.

It's Emily, it will always be Emily.

"Hi Ems!" She says probably a bit too needily but quickly stops berating herself, they're friends and they haven't seen each other properly in two weeks.

She's further sated and even made to blush when Emily breathes, "Wow, Naoms, you look amazing!"

Naomi grins at Emily and her heart beats a little faster but a potential reconciling moment is marred by Cook's intrusive vulgarity, "Yes Wheels, you are looking good to go. Or should I say Legs?" he sticks his tongue out and makes a show of looking at Naomi's barely covered lower half. She cringes without hiding it but still subtly tries to pull the skirt down. It crosses her mind encouragingly that it doesn't make her feel physically sick when _Emily_ looks at her form. Emily is a cute perve. _Was she perving?_ She hopes.

Naomi ignores him and plasters on her worst fake smile for Effy, seriously wishing she were letting anyone else in the entire world but her into her house.

"Effy. To what do we owe the honor of your presence here?" she says through gritted teeth. _No seriously, tell me why the fuck we're all forced to go out together and pretend like I don't wanna rip you limb from limb?_

"Well Cook has been away for a while and wanted to check out the delights of Camden nightlife."

Naomi spies Emily shifting from foot to foot looking uncomfortable before the brunette continues coolly,

"And he suggested that we invite some of the people he met at the last party, so he decided he wanted to bring you and your boyfriend."

Naomi's jaw physically drops at the insinuation, "My-my what?"

"Boyfriend." Emily says and looks at Naomi with so much guilt, as if she's really saying _I'm sorry!_ Instead of; "Tall, dark, handsome guy, you lucky thing!"

The blonde looks between Emily's pleading face that asks her to go along with it, and Effy's shimmering dark blue orbs that Naomi wouldn't have liked to believe that they contain much restraint and regret and then finally Cook's obliviously happy wolfish grin. Eventually she takes a deep breath, holds her tongue and downs her full glass of wine, barely wincing as she turns around without another word and leads them into her home. Cook seems impressed when he yells, "Top notch Blondie!" as she bounces along to catch up with them.

Once back in the living room Naomi immediately refills her glass and takes another large gulp. She notices Emily somberly say "Hi" to Freddie with her shoulders hunched.

Giving herself something to do and stalling the inevitably intense awkwardness in the room, Naomi fixes Freddie a drink and takes it to him before sitting on the arm of the sofa nearest to him. She could feel Cook's lecherous eyes on her the whole time, making her skin crawl. Freddie thanks her and his eyes look red from the spliff, making it look like he's been crying, which would probably be an accurate assumption too.

Just as she thought her night couldn't get any worse, Cook pipes up from behind his can of Special Brew and licks his lips when looking at Naomi, "How long you two kids been together then?"

Naomi hears Emily choke and then cough on whatever she had just been drinking and the blonde suddenly starts to sweat. Freddie looks up at her, confusion etched on his face, "Naomi? What-" she closes her eyes at the realization that Effy's fake arrangement for the two of them was not discussed with Freddie.

Panda squeaks, "Stupid! They aren't-"

"Shut up." Effy cuts her off in her monotonous tone.

Cook reiterates for the group, "I mean how long have you been making monkey with a bangable little piece like her man? Lucky cunt Fredster!" he finishes with his eyebrows waggling and his mangy laugh.

"We're not-" Freddie rambles, out of sorts.

"Three years!" Naomi interrupts and glares at Freddie begging him to trust her. "We met at Uni in Bristol." Completely ignoring for the time being how Cook had spoken about her and how exposed it made her feel. She carries on, grabs Freddie's hand who seems to have caught on and laces her fingers with his, "We were on the same course and he would sit right behind me in every lecture. Eventually I asked _him_ out and… we…fell in love." The lie tumbles out more easily than she thought it would and Cook is satisfied.

She had seen Freddie look at Effy meaningfully throughout it all. But she looks as unaffected and disinterested as ever. Naomi can feel her anger rising that threatens to erupt when she glances at Emily who is staring into her drink hard and keeping as quiet as a mouse. Offering no kind of relief to her friend.

She has to get out of here. "Baby?" She addresses Freddie, "I'll be right back, I just have to go to the bathroom." And then makes sure Effy is watching her as she kisses him softly for a good three seconds.

As soon as she leaves the room she realises she's being followed and decides to carry on going down the hall instead, to her bedroom where she could at least talk properly without fear of being overheard.

Emily closes her door behind her and starts huskily, "I'm so sorry Naoms,"

"This is a fucking pantomime!" the blonde shrieks, furious but almost relieved that she has someone to plot with.

Emily shortens the distance between them to try and offer some form of comfort to the distressed beauty, "I know! I'm sorry, we tried to get him to go somewhere else but he seems to have taken a liking to you." She says, instantly feeling dirty.

"I don't want him in my house Emily! He's a pig, have you heard the things he says to me?"

"Yes I've heard!" the red-head cries fuming, "He's vile and I've always hated him but never as much as I do tonight!"

Naomi sits on her bed heavily and runs her fingers through her hair. Emily can't help but think she looks incredibly sexy doing that. "Why didn't you warn Freddie about Effy and him? Why didn't you tell _me_?"

Sensing the blonde needs some space Emily perches on a set of drawers, careful to not knock any of Naomi's personal things on display.

The petite girl sighs before saying apologetically, "Neither of us knew when he was coming back. We didn't even know he knew where to find us."

"Fucking great." Naomi dead-pans, "What are we involved in Emily? Just how dangerous is this prick?"

Emily looks around the girl's room slightly, she is saddened that this is the first time she has seen it and it's such an unhappy occasion. She drinks in all the small details and decorations that scream Naomi and she is surrounded by smells that are so Naomi it makes her knees weak.

She looks at the girl who is radiating hurt and anguish and Emily's heart thuds thickly as she worries her bottom lip.

"He was sent to prison when we were all still in college. He beat up a guy within an inch of his life because he couldn't stand the way this poor guy was looking at Effy."

"Jesus Christ." Naomi whispers, rubbing her temples.

"He was always a bit of a dick in college, eyeing up other women, but he was loveable and he loves Effy. Like fierce you know? And Effy loved him in her own way. But when he did that…she wanted to leave. So I left with her."

"And now he's back." She adds uselessly.

Emily nods sadly. "She loves Freddie. More than she's ever loved anyone. It's killing her having to pretend to be with Cook, just so he won't beat the crap out of him. I hear her crying in the kitchen nearly every night when Cook's asleep."

"I don't _care_ about Effy. I care about how fucking destroyed Freddie is and how fucked up this all is! I don't understand why she doesn't just tell Cook to get fucked and be with Freddie!"

Emily moves from the dresser not able to watch Naomi be devastated a second longer, she gets within arms reach of the beautiful blonde and pulls her down and into her gently so that she's holding her. Naomi seems to lose her bearings suddenly but recovers by wrapping her long arms around Emily's petite frame and squeezes her back.

She doesn't know how long they just were standing there close together but she forgets to figure it out when Emily softly says into the crease of her chest and arm, "Even if Cook did leave if she asked him, would she ask Freddie to be with her? I don't think they were ever official." Emily hates that phrase. "It's her mess. _She_ needs to fix it. All we can do is be there for our friends."

Naomi breathes deeply savoring the fact she can smell Emily's shampoo and perfume, and lays her insecurities on the line, "_You're_ my friend Ems. But you haven't exactly been there for me either."

Emily nods against Naomi's blouse, her eyes closed from the feeling, "I know," she says softly, "I'm sorry. But I'm back now."

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><p><strong>I have absolutely no idea where the Cook hate came from but its fun :) I do actually love him as a character but this is how he turned out in Starbooks.<strong>

**I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, please let me know if you like the story and where you think it's gonna go :D**

**Any guesses on Emily's favourite book yet? :P Cheers everyone!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh Hai!**

**This turned out to be a two-parter again 'cos I dislike posting looooong chapters, so I hope this will quell your thirsts a little bit more, especially on the whole "Why was Emily ignoring Naomi" front and I hope it clears up a few things about her perspective in regards to Naomily right now. **

**I'm issuing a small sexy warning for this chapter too I hope you don't mind it. Thank you for all your kind words, you're brilliant, you know you are! Yeah...you!**

**Please enjoy.**

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

_Sunlight blared through a large uncovered window, drawing the curtains the night before had been forgotten about. Hands were too busy being elsewhere._

_The harsh disturbing light woke a previously passed out post-coital young woman who's grumpy and sleepy protestations at having being woken up far too early for the amount of energy she had spent not hours previously, were quickly evaporated as she gazed down at the beautiful and peaceful form of her sleeping girlfriend._

_Here in her childhood bedroom; the girl smiled and wondered to whom ever would listen how she ever got so lucky. She watched the sleeping girl a while, until she eventually started to gently stroke the long wavy brown hair that cascaded down her smooth, pale back-that rose softly with every careful breath._

_When the tactile girl grew more impatient and more needy with the urge to feel her girlfriends skin, she traveled her hand lightly over the small of her back and over the curves of her behind. She bit back a giggle when she heard the sleeping girl grumble and saw her squirm._

"_S'too early…" she murmured, hanging onto blissful ignorance of the world around._

_The girl turned her girlfriend over, knew she wasn't really complaining, or rather wouldn't be in a minute._

"_There's no such thing as too early." She kissed her softly on pink lips, still marveled at the taste of herself on them after all that time. She moved to straddle one of the brunette's thigh's, felt the return of a familiar slickness._

"_Especially," she moved herself deliberately on her girlfriends strong leg, "when you look," moved a hand to palm a small breast and tickle a nipple, "so beautiful" kissed her and the brunette had her attention as she slid her tongue into the mouth of the girl grinding torturously slowly on top of her, "when you're sleeping." Her ear was bitten and the brunette groaned as she rolled her hips into the other girls' creamy thigh and gripped her strong back._

"…_Emily." The brunette sighed._

"_Yes Baby?" She whispered a hint of a grin in her voice, not once did she break her rhythm._

"…_You're very good at that…"_

_Emily giggled and didn't reply until she kissed and sucked at a nipple languidly, "I know Baby, you tell me all the time." Emily finally fit a hand between their sliding bodies and stroked her girlfriend were she was her wettest._

_The brunette gasped at the sensation and had to grab onto Emily's shock of red hair, "I love you…" Emily confided against her girlfriend's lips._

_The brunette moved her hand absentmindedly up and down Emily's back as the aching feeling took over her, "I know Em…you tell me all the time."_

_-"JESUS FUCK!" was screamed from the doorway behind the couple. Emily cursed loudly too as the realization and mortification hit her like a speed train. She wasted no time in covering up her girlfriends' dignity with the duvet they had kicked away and sat in front of her, covered her own chest as well as she regarded her ashen-white twin sister, petrified at the doorway to their room._

"_What the fuck are you doing?" her slightly elder sister hissed venomously at her._

"_I'm doing the Great Northern __fucking__ Run, what does it look like I'm doing?"_

_Emily was so tense it took her a second to realise her girlfriend behind her was crying._

"_Get that Lezzer __freak__ out of my room!" her twin screeched,_

_Emily saw white fury, "Her __name__ is Sophia, and she's my __girlfriend__!" Emily screamed just as loudly. How dare her sister treat the one she loved with such hate._

"_Her name is __dyke!__ She's disgusting!"_

"_Don't fucking talk to her like that!" her throat felt raw then, "__I'm__ gay too, I'm still Emily!"_

"_You're not gay you're just stupid! And she can't get her filthy hands on you anymore after I tell her parents what she is."_

_Emily felt her girlfriend cry harder at these words and cowered into Emily's back distraught, her tears ran down the smaller girls' spine,_

"_You wouldn't!" she begged her sister._

"_Watch this." She glared at the red-head and charged out of the room. Emily was momentarily numb with fear before she screamed at the top of her lungs to the sound of feet that pounded down the stairs and a front door slammed shut,_

"_I FUCKING __HATE__ YOU KATIE!"_

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"Em?"

"Emily?"

"Ems!" she feels a foot kick her leg and she snaps out of her reverie gladly. She shakes her head and apologizes to the tall blonde giving her a curious look and handing her a drink.

"Sorry, was miles away." She mumbles, sipping her new beverage gratefully.

They had been at Naomi and Freddie's an hour already and everyone seemed to be under the same instinct to get as royally fucked as quickly as possible. Ever since her and Naomi's talk in said girls' room, the blonde had been fixing her drink after drink, which Emily would divest in quick succession.

Naomi slumps next to her on the couch and crosses her legs with slight difficulty in her skirt. Their sides are touching which makes Naomi jump when she feels the vibration of Emily's phone from her jacket pocket. Emily sighs audibly and digs it out, scanning the screen quickly and replacing it from whence it came.

It has not gone unnoticed by the blonde that Emily has been fairly glued to her phone all night. She wants to ask who she is texting but that would be crazy stalker-ish. Not Naomi's style. However, Naomi has also curiously observed (not that she wants to really look at the girl ever in her life) that Effy finds Emily's constant texting particularly grating as she tuts and huffs emphatically every time.

For whatever reason, it is unmistakable that Emily and Effy are creating their own tension tonight and adding it to the already boiling pot.

Emily's face clouds over again as she thinks about her behaviour recently. She knows that Naomi is gay and she should be jumping for joy because there is an even greater chance that they could be together. But is that what she wants right now? Is she ready? Another thing that bothers her about it is that Naomi hasn't actually told her herself. She's holding back for some reason and maybe it's a reason good enough to mean they can't be together. What if Naomi just doesn't fancy her? After all, she can't blame the blonde for being put off when the red-head has been ignoring her for a while.

She just needed some time to think, she doesn't know if she's ready to come out to Naomi, after keeping it from her all this time its got to mean something when it's finally revealed. What's the point of deliberately telling her "look Naomi I'm very gay, heard you are too, funny that!" if its not to reveal her growing feelings for her.

Yes, she has feelings for her. Duh. Strong ones, so strong she hasn't allowed her self to wallow in them and realize their full extent. Emily worries that she isn't ready to love anyone yet, how can she when she doesn't even love herself?

She remembers how she met her new best friend and the woman she most definitely fantasizes about in alarming frequency; Emily and Effy had been getting ready to go out, get royally fucked up hating life and if they were lucky forgetting that they hate themselves. Effy's increasing taunts were getting to her, so when one summers night the brunette suggested one of her many worn out proposals; "Emily must fuck the next fit girl she sees!", she surprised the brunette by finally accepting. She was sick of being Emily. Effy lived, why not try being her, she didn't give a fuck. But Emily was tired of having nothing to lose.

But when the next fit girl that she saw turned out to be _absolutely earth-shatteringly stunning_ and saw in her eyes and manner something that trivialized everything she'd ever learnt about love and attraction in all her (somewhat sheltered) twenty two years, she knew she could never _just_ fuck her and move on. She couldn't do that to the blonde, herself or the universe. It would be all or nothing.

So when she left the shop, parting from the adorable shy goddess, she chose nothing. It was a random meeting and she'd never see her again. She was safe.

That was until the next day she saw her and found out the beautiful blonde was living across the street, she wasn't sure what to think. Was it the universe's way of saying it's high time she got laid, or was there a more majestic reason? The only way she could know was to talk to the blonde. She found out her name was Naomi amongst many other amazing things that makes Emily's heart light and head spin and the closer she got to Naomi, the more intense the feeling became that she was special to her, and was always supposed to be.

The problem for Emily is that she doesn't like being told what to do, that's why she left Bristol, she calls the shots in her own life now, why should it be fate that decides whether Naomi is the girl of her dreams. That suddenly this girl is dropped in the house opposite and she's suddenly in love with her. No. _Emily_ is supposed to decide whether she loves someone or not. _She_ is the one who is supposed to change on her own, not the other way around where the blonde changes _her._

But Emily feels it already happening, Naomi makes her a better person. Just being around her and a part of her life makes her happier. Less alone, less lonely.

Emily lolls her head back on the sofa and watches Naomi unguardedly; she's talking to Panda about something over the sound of the music. _She's so beautiful and available what have you got to lose? _A lot, she now realises with a heavy heart. What if this potential I've been building up with Naomi is just a figment of my imagination? One of the tallest obstacles has been tackled; yes she likes tits and fanny too. Fantastic. But what if she doesn't feel the same way about her? _She maybe attracted to me but is she in deep as I am? _The possible negative answer is too terrifying to contemplate.

She notices that Naomi looks edgy and nothing like the warm fun girl she knows. She can't help it when she taps her wrist lightly to get her attention but lightly holds onto it when she asks in a low voice,

"If you could be anywhere else but here right now, where would you be?"

_Besides from in bed with you?_ The blonde immediately thinks. She smiles to herself because of the strong attraction she feels for the red-head.

Naomi taps her glass as she thinks of an answer, "There's this bar that Freddie goes to all the time, I've been a couple of times and it's really nice, a bit classy, and they have a beautiful redwood bar. When the bartender isn't serving you Manhattan's or Old Fashioned's, he's polishing glasses just like you see in the films."

Emily smiles at the image of Naomi perched at the bar in a black cocktail dress and drinking seductively from a short tumbler.

"Usually on a Tuesday, like tonight in fact, they're open until three in the morning and it's so quiet except for the softly playing Jazz band who refuse to play anything other than the Oldies until closing."

Emily makes an appreciative noise, "Sounds perfect."

"What sounds perfect? My cock?"

Naomi looks visibly disgusted as Cook stumbles over and collapses on the other side of Naomi, stinking like a brewery.

The man-boy continues his onslaught, "I think we should willy waggle. Emilio can join in too she'd love that, wouldn't you Red?" Naomi's repulsion is quickly taken over by confusion,

"Cook! Any chance you could be a cunt somewhere else?" Emily seethes. She had quite frankly had enough of Cook's filthy paws all over the elegant blonde and now _her_ claws were out.

"Emily…" Naomi says horrified at what Cook might now do to the little red-head in retaliation.

But he simply throws his bed back and howls as he ejects himself from the sofa, "Aww where's the love Emilio?" Everyone's eyes were now on the pair and the silence was close and thick.

Emily is quiet and does nothing. "No?" he says, "Eff will show me the love won't ya teeny-tits?" with that he pounces on her and kisses the brunette forcefully, making everyone pull faces at his inconsiderate technique.

Everyone looks on uncomfortably until the sound of shattering glass grabs their attention. Freddie had squeezed his wine glass so hard it broke in his hand and tumbled to the hard wood floor, his face a picture of undisguised rage. _Oh shit_ Naomi thinks helplessly, _he's gonna blow it._ She makes to get up off the sofa to prepare to diffuse the ticking time-bomb, she isn't prepared for Panda to be the one to distract the situation, with epic timing, the bubbly blonde spots a game in the corner of her eye and yells excitedly for everyone to hear,

"Twister!" she jumps up and down clutching the box with impossible glee,

Freddie shakes his head and seems to snap out of his seek and destroy mentality, looks down at the danger on the floor before clearing it up, asking,

"What? How'd you find that Panda?"

Naomi leaps at the chance to steer Cook's suspicions of foul play, "Yes! Great idea Panda, we should all play Twister!" claps her hands together to seal the deal.

"Bonkers!" the girl starts to unfurl the white playing mat, "Who wants to play, Eff?"

The charismatic waif predictably smirks, as if to say _you've got to be fucking joking?_

"I'll play with you Panda, no harm in letting all your inhibitions go," Naomi says raising an eyebrow at Effy.

"Yeah. I'm in." Emily husks almost immediately after.

"Cookie?" Panda asks.

"I don't know how to play Panda-Pops. How about I watch you lovely ladies show me how it's done and I'll join in the next game for some _hands on_ experience?" he drawls yet again tongue wagging.

Emily notices Naomi shiver and thinks to herself that she'd love to have some hands on experience around Cook's throat.

"So that means it's you Freddie-Poo!" Panda squeals and positions her self behind the yellow dots on the mat.

"Yeah, alright." He shrugs and picks the green dots. Effy's face twitches into a small smile.

With Naomi behind the red and Emily behind the blue, the game begins.

Being acutely aware of Naomi's attire all night, Emily would have thought the blonde would have difficulties playing in a skirt such as she is wearing, but these queries are soon dashed when Naomi hikes up her skirt to an insatiable length mid-thigh for "more maneuverability" and Emily discovers that it is _she _who will have more difficulty playing, when all she wants to do is caress those luscious limbs as they wrap around…

"Right hand blue!"

Emily's heady staring is disrupted by Panda's shrieking command and they all jump to obey, positioning themselves on the mat. Naomi can't help but notice that her and Emily's faces are quite near to each other as they are bent over and Emily's face seems awfully flushed, _probably from the exertion of holding herself up with one hand. Then again she does have amazing upper-body strength, I can see her bicep bulging now…_

"Left leg yellow!"

The foursome crane their necks around to spy the most convenient spot to place their feet… _Bloody hell, why did I agree to this? Naomi's fantastic arse that looks __particularly__ fantastic in that bloody skirt is right in front of me! I can't, I can't stand it…_

"Right leg red!"

Freddie and Panda giggle manically when they realize both of their legs have to go under one another to reach a viable position. Naomi and Emily both sigh secretly in relief when they get to move in a comfortable (in more ways than one) crouched position at the edge of the mat, far away from having to touch anyone.

"Left hand blue!"

_Still safe._

"Left leg green!"

_Shit. This is going to require some stretching, I hope my skirt doesn't rip, that would be embarrassing._

_Oh Good Lord, __look__ at those legs! _

Naomi is practically doing the splits across the mat and Emily is all but salivating, _this is fucking killing me._ But being shorter Emily can see no other option than to stretch her leg as far as it can go in a vain hope that she can reach a green dot and stay stable. Of course this had to mean that Emily is positioned right behind Naomi, practically on top of her whilst only a couple of centimeters are between Emily's front touching Naomi's straining back.

Naomi's legs are shaking and she tries to take deep breaths when she hears that Emily's are the complete opposite, the red head's mouth is so close to her ear she can hear the franticness of them, conjuring all sorts of graphic images in the blonde's head, _Emily behind me…maybe a kitchen counter…Emily breathing heavily…Emily's arm burning…_

"Hurry up my arm's burning!" Emily yells at Panda who is currently having a play fight with Freddie to see who can make the other lose their balance and lose the game.

"Alright don't get your knickers in a twist! - Argh!"

Freddie successfully manages to catch her off guard shoving her only gently but not realizing their limbs were still entangled, which means they both go down like a sack of giggling potatoes.

"Freddie!" she whines, "That's so not fair, that's against the rules!"

Freddie acts coy, "What? You lost your balance, your out and so am I!"

He helps her up off the mat, "C'mon I need another drink any way, Naomi and Emily are still in it to win it."

"Yeah I need another too." Effy drawls as she gets up off Cooks lap and follows Freddie to make a drink.

"Girl on girl now Panda-Pops, spin it then!" Cook laughs from his chair.

Panda doesn't seem too down about losing unfairly and becomes engrossed in Emily and Naomi's game once more, "Right hand yellow!"

Emily audibly sighs in satisfaction, she is able to move her hand a small amount and is in an altogether more comfortable position for her tested muscles. But Naomi's face turns white. She can't get out of this unless she does something _really_ daring and … _demanding_.

She has no choice but to spin her body round and put her arm awkwardly behind her head in a crab position…beneath Emily. Emily watches as she does it, a heat engulfs her and she nearly cries at the sweet torture. Naomi moves her body beneath her as the red-head watches on all fours. The blonde agilely moves her hand back and straightens her arms and legs so she is in a crab position and her lithe flexible supple body is arched towards Emily's.

Emily can smell her perfume on her chest, if she were to drop her head down a few centimeters she could taste it, if she were to lick between the valley of her straining breasts.

"_Oh God!" _The red-head rasps.

Naomi's head is upside down, as would be her view if she was to open her eyes, but she can't afford to look at Emily right now. This, however is pointless, as her limbs are shaking and her eyes are squeezed tightly shut she doesn't see Effy slink towards the mat, smirk in place and roughly kick Emily's hand away so that she loses all of her balance and crumbles helplessly on top of Naomi's arching form. The blonde shrieks in shock more than anything and Emily collapses on top of her with an–

"-Oomph!"

Emily falls onto her hard, her stomach connecting with Naomi's and her legs tangling with the blonde's, the side of her cheek connects with the soft coolness of Naomi's chest and she can feel the blonde's arms instinctually wrap around her back quickly to cushion her landing. Emily has never felt so protected. Or awkwardly nervous.

As soon as Emily is aware of what is happening and how much of each other's bodies they are touching, she quickly raises herself up on all fours, loosening Naomi's grip so that her hands slide to her sides so it's as if the blonde is holding her up, assessing if she hurt herself from the fall.

Emily moans inwardly at the delicious contact with this gorgeous woman and this…painfully erotic position as she hovers above Naomi. She can feel a nostalgic heat rising from below as she gazes into her pale blue pools surrounding a dilated jet black. She stares in wonder a moment at Naomi's heaving chest _so_ close to her before she finally croaks out, "Are you OK?"

Naomi is unaware of many things right now; unaware that the room is in fits of laughter at Effy's trick, unaware of the tension and want now bucking and rearing behind Emily's black eyes but she_ is_ aware of how lustful her thoughts are now that Emily is boreing down at her, while her strong arms barely hold herself inches above Naomi so she can feel the firm flatness of Emily's stomach on her own as she exhales sporadically.

Emily's face and lips are centimeters away, she can see her beautifully expressive eyes perfectly and she marvels at the sensation of Emily's cascading red tresses tickling her clavicle and collarbones. And then Emily goes and spoils it all by saying something stupid like; "Are you OK?"

_She's so perfect_ Naomi thinks and she's done for. Her heart expands and pounds furiously and she can feel Emily's sweet breath on her own lips, the sheer concern and sentiment of her words send a spasm shooting mercilessly to Naomi's core that her hips are frighteningly close to rocking in sympathy. But she does close her eyes and bite her bottom lip hard.

_This_ – is a moment she will never forget for as long as she lives. Even if Emily is straight and they can never be together, she thinks she may survive as long as she has this memory of Emily holding herself above her, panting heavily and asking her with all the sincerity in the world if she's ok.

The blonde eventually (well what seems to her like a wonderful eternity) opens her eyes and clears her throat, "Yeah I'm fine, you?"

Emily scans her face in a panic looking for any signs that she is uncomfortable with their situation, "Yeah, fine."

The moment is over as soon as Cook is heard shouting and they are both zapped back into the room, "Fuckin' hilarious Babe, quality!" and loudly slaps Effy's arse.

Emily manages to disentangle herself from Naomi without any further complications and stands up from the mat. She is about to help Naomi up when Freddie beats her to it, keeping up with the pretence that they are actually an item.

Emily walks away dejected and feeling rather foolish, she sends Effy a deathly warning glare for the insensitive stunt she just pulled. Not only does Emily feel immensely embarrassed in front of Naomi but she's now flustered and frustrated beyond belief. _I mean, what if I'd not been able to control myself, what if I'd leaned down and done any of the number of things I'd desperately wanted to do? I'd have ruined our friendship!_

As she continues to glare at Effy, she hopes the brunette will get the message that they will have a serious confrontation later in a less public setting.

Naomi straightens her skirt and blouse as her face burns an impressive red and she offhandedly thanks Freddie for his assistance. She assesses Emily from the corner of her eye and she bristles and deflates at the sight of her looking the definition of uncomfortable. _Fuck! I'm gonna fucking kill Stonem! She's probably told Emily all about me and now she thinks it's hilarious having Emily think I'm trying to gay her up! God, I shouldn't have held her!_

Naomi ignores the gang laughing at the two of them while she quickly downs another glass of wine. But another thought pops up – _That's __if__ she's straight. If she's not… well I don't know what that was…But her body felt fucking unbelievable…__writhing__ on mine…Oh God! –_

"Right! Enough of this shit, on to the club! Let's paaarrrtaaaayyy!" Cook takes it upon himself to round up the group and lead them to the next port of call, he tries to usher everyone out of the room and down the stairs by banging his can on the table like an ape.

Naomi sighs and rolls her eyes and looks to Freddie for encouragement. He just shrugs sadly and trudges out of the door after Cook, Emily and Effy. Naomi grabs her jacket from the back of the door and fondles her keys as she makes her way down the stairs and out the shop door. As she locks up and piles into the waiting taxi with the others she anxiously watches Emily check her phone a few times and purposefully avoid eye contact with her.

The blonde sighs again and rubs her temples, feeling the effects the wine and wishing she felt it more. T_his is going to be a long night._

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><p><strong>I love writing this, Cook and Panda are so much fun! Do you like them too? I hope the ending wasn't to angsty, poor Ems is just a little embarrassed and Naomi is rolling her eyes at her luck. But I shouldn't be telling you that, my writing should...anyhoo, I have BIG plans for the next chapter, BIG ones. ;)<strong>

**Lemme know what you thought of this one as it encourages me, I cherish all of your thoughts and I'm SO glad people like my story :D Lots of love xox**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry this is late! Sorry if it is rife with mistakes! Starting my final year at uni has made me super busy so updates are not gonna be that regular but I will try my absolute best. I like making you lot happy and this story makes me happy so it will get finished I promise! **

**But I really hope you like this chapter. Drop me a review once you've read it to let me know what you think, that'd be cool. :)**

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><p>Emily has always thought there was something inherently sexy about clubs. Maybe it's the sweat that glistens on bodies and rolls off of curves. It could be the entrancing rhythmical pounding of the bass, relentless as it drives the crowd to dance that little bit longer, that little bit stronger in sweet anticipation of a crescendo until the collective organ flutters and screams into a climatic frenzy.<p>

Emily is euphoric. And it most definitely has _everything_ to do with the vision that is Naomi inches in front of her; care-free and gentle as she moves to the music openly. The synchronicity of Emily's staccato heart and the strobing of the lights move the blonde in slow motion, revealing glimmers of Naomi's pale skin and heavy eyes that cause Emily to bite her lip and dance harder in sweet sacrifice for the moment she's been allowed to have.

One of the last of Emily's senses that is yet to be caressed by the unbelievable dancing-girl; touch, is ignited ferociously when Naomi moves deliciously closer in the dark and with surprising confidence, slides her long fingers at first from Emily's hips to ultimately rest them at the smallest part of the small of her back. Wetness quickly invades her as she realises if she keeps dancing, Naomi's hands can be forced to slip lower to touch her arse.

The rest of Naomi's body follows her confident hands until eventually, Emily whimpers quietly when her last sense; taste, could be sated. If she were to just simply cock her head, dip slightly, kiss and lick Naomi's probably salty, perfumed delectable skin.

But she can't. As far as Naomi knows, straight girls don't go around sucking their friends' necks. She detaches herself from the blonde with frustration but makes up an excuse about needing the bathroom and that she will return. The redhead angrily moves through the mass of bodies and bursts into the sobering, brightly lit cavernous room and proceeds to drench her face in cold water.

She hears someone else enter the bathroom and fumbles to compose herself until she realises its Effy.

"What the fuck was that Emily?"

"I dunno, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," thinking the waif-like girl is talking about how inappropriately close her and Naomi were when they are trying to convince Effy's threateningly possessive boyfriend that Freddie and Naomi are together.

"I'm not on about that, I'm asking why the fuck you just left?" Effy hisses,

"The world maybe blind, but I'm not. Neither is Campbell, even though she's quickly making her way through all the Tequila in the northern hemisphere tonight."

Emily's brow furrows at her words, panic quickly rising up her throat, "Did you tell her I was…that I'm-"

"No. But _you_ need to." She stresses, cutting her off. "There's only so much digging a person will do before they can't be bothered anymore. And I'd hurry up if I were you, somebody is already stepping up to what you're too chicken shit to do."

Images of an other girl dancing close to Naomi batter their way through her mind, instant jealousy rages behind her eyes.

"Their hands are all over each other, Cook was quite enjoying it actually."

"Stop! Ok?"

"Just tell her everything then!" she almost screams.

"It's not as easy as that though is it? Loving someone! You of all people know, so how dare you lecture me when you're fucking your own life up!" Emily retaliates, shaking with indignation.

"It could be though! It could be so easy for you, but you do nothing! At least I'm protecting Freddie, you're just lifeless. It's sickening, you need to _do_ something!" she wants to slap her as she implores.

The shrill tone of Emily's phone enters the tension as it notifies a new text message has arrived. Effy growls as she lunges for Emily's bag and snatches the phone,

"And you can start by telling that _bitch_ to get to fuck!" she shakes the phone in front of the redheads pained and guilty face manically. Effy knows she's making her feel small, just like her sister does but she's getting so angry watching her inanimately let people walk all over her still, herself including. Tough love isn't working so maybe tougher love will. Effy never has been an expert when it comes to that feeling.

"She _ruined_ your _life._" She says evenly, patronizingly. "You never wanted to see her again, grow a pair and get rid of her, for fucks sake!"

And with that Effy shoves the phone roughly at her and stalks out of the bathroom, leaving Emily breathing heavily and vibrating with anger. She hates the toxic cocktail of feelings bombarding her.

"I _hate_ the way I feel!" she cries at her reflection, brown coals simmering.

"I hate them all!"

"Why can't they just leave me alone?"

"I WANT TO BE ALONE!"

The ease and speed of which the lie is torn out of her chest shocks and truly scares her. Eyes and mouth wide apart she looks into her reflection once more and finds no familiarity or compassion for the stranger staring back at her. She tears up when she realises she hates herself, and she's never felt so ashamed.

"C'mon. You're ok. You're in there somewhere." She breathes.

She resolves to look into her own eyes once more, searching, "C'mon, find Emily. She's in here." She feels something ever so slightly shift, it's small but it's a start. It's definitely something. She couldn't tell you where exactly but something definitely changes. She realises she _wants_ to find Emily, the Emily she was and wants to be, who she can be. She becomes giddy when she see's, feels her coming back, she's smiling and she likes who she see's, for the first time in four years.

"What are you doing? College Emily would kick your arse." She giggles to herself and grows bashful when she knows she's right. She takes a deep breath and allows herself to be the person she used to love. Even if it's just for a little while, even if its just for tonight.

"Let it go before you screw everything up."

An alien feeling of purpose powers her for the first time in a very long time, she throws the bathroom door open and weaves effortlessly towards her group of friends and her blonde.

She allows herself a wince and a scowl when she sees Naomi dancing with a nameless girl, but feels a little better as she gets closer when she notes Naomi is notoriously drunk. Too drunk to remember she's supposed to be putting up appearances with Freddie, who hasn't taken his eyes off Cook and Effy all night. Nevertheless, she practically peels the girl off Naomi with her bare hands and calmly pulls her friend to one side.

"Emilyyy! You're back!" the blonde beams and teeters.

The redhead smiles so big at the girl being so fucking cute. She grabs her hand and pulls her away even further from their friends, from Effy's raised eyebrow and penetrative gaze.

"Let's go to the bar yeah?"

Pretty sure she would follow Emily anywhere, Naomi nods her head enthusiastically and lets Emily lead her through the sweaty obstacles. Once in the rather large queue for the bar, Emily grabs Naomi's attention that had previously been trying to chase her straw around her glass.

"Naoms, I want to leave for a sec, but I will be right back I promise." She adds quickly when she gladly notices her pout.

"Do you think you could stay right here and get me a drink while I'm gone?" she asks and then giggles when Naomi tries to pull a serious face and salutes her.

"And get yourself some water, ok?" she tries half-jokingly.

Naomi rolls her eyes good-naturedly but wants to please the redhead,

"Yes Emily I can get you a drink and will only get myself water. I'm not –" wavers and props herself up on a random guy in the queue, "- that bad!"

Emily only laughs harder and thanks her as she quickly wraps her in a hug before leaving abruptly without looking back. Naomi watches her leave and decides it would ok to lean on the huge guy in front of her in the queue as she wistfully thinks of Emily. The guy turns his head and looks amusedly at this random trashed girl using him as a squishy wall.

"You smell really nice for a bloke!" she surmises before she resumes her leaning. The guy just laughs and turns back to bar to be served.

Outside Emily is striding in the direction she knows she needs to go, punches in some numbers on her phone and waits for it to ring. She is forceful as soon as it connects,

"Katie, I'm leaving the club. You can meet me now. No, now, get a cab I'll be there in five minutes." She hangs up and keeps hold of it while tightening her jacket around herself, keeping the cold out and the courage in.

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_Emily and her girlfriend Sophia stood next to their neighboring lockers, dropping off their psychology text books from their previous class._

_Emily closed the flimsy metal door and casually gripped her girlfriend's hand who looked about nervously for a second but relaxed when she saw that no one else was around._

_Emily disguised the hurt she always felt when Sophia would accidentally remind her that she was ashamed of their relationship. Emily brushed it off because that's what you do when you love someone, you do anything you can to keep them happy._

_She asked Sophia what she asked her everyday at 12:15 pm, "So where do you want to go for lunch? College Caf' or Mackie D's?" she wiggled her eyebrows comically in a way that insinuated they were terribly spoilt for choice by those two exquisite offers._

_Sophia chuckled lightly, "Actually, I was thinking, since it is a hot day and everything, we could sit in our park with an ice-cream, then maybe make the day a little hotter?"_

_Emily's lower stomach fluttered as she flirted back, "Mmm I like your style, Moore." Emily leaned in closer to her girlfriend but retreated when she saw from behind the taller body; her sister strut down the corridor, gabbling to her other hens. The redhead sighed inwardly, it was too late to whisk Sophia away from the imminent bitchiness, Katie had seen them both and subsequently quickened the pace of herself and her cronies,_

"_What have I told you about staying the fuck away from my sister Freak?" the evil-twin barked at Sophia whilst her cronies formed an intimidating half-circle around the couple._

"_Leave her alone Bitch, you have no idea the damage you've done!" Emily fiercely growled, "Her parents kicked her out, she's having to live with a friend from Cadets!"_

_Katie knew full well this information and Emily screaming at her and the other girl cowering only served to make her sneer, hiding her disappointment that Sophia's parents didn't lock her away instead so that she could never see Emily again. The girl was hard to get rid of and Katie was running on desperation._

"_Yeah? Well what if I tell __every__ one of her little Cadet friends that she's grabbing my sister's growler?"_

_In the end it seemed it was Sophia's own crippling self-hatred and denial that finally gave Katie what she wanted; "a free, normal, happy twin."_

"_No!" Sophia cracked. "Just stop, I'll stop!" she barged her way past a smug Katie and ran down the college corridor to the exit. Emily looked on in horror before she bolted after her girlfriend, fearing the absolute worst._

"_Baby wait!" she burst through the double doors at the top of the steps._

_Sophia whirled around looking stricken, "Don't Emily! I'm sorry, but I-I can't anymore…I'm not like you!" she whined._

"_Wh-what are you saying? Don't do this to me please, I love you, we can do anything, we can run away and just be alone together, we can be ourselves, fuck everyone else, I don't care, I want you!" she pleaded with her retreating girlfriend._

_Sophia grabbed her own hair forcefully, looking more angry than upset, "I can't! I'm scared!"_

_Emily finally caught up with her and tried to hold her hands, but folded her arms when Sophia shrugged her away, "Please try Soph. I __know__ you love me." Her heart constricted when she saw her girlfriend wince at her words. "Tell me what I can do to make you less scared, I'd do anything for you."_

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Emily spots the figure of her twin huddled on a wall looking around for someone. Despite the tell-tale sign of leopard print and slightly purple hair, Emily finds it remarkable how similar they still look and she how she'd be able to intuitively recognize her anywhere.

Almost as if her twin senses her presence from ten metres away, Katie looks right in her direction and skips off the wall,

"Emsy! I'm so glad you agreed to see me again, I-"

Emily cuts her off and indicates for her to follow her straight away, "I didn't _agree_ to anything you asked. I wanted to see you because you can do something for me ok?"

"Umm yeah, sure Emsy, whatever you want. I'm just happy I get to talk to you at all."

"Whatever. C'mon."

After a while of Emily power-walking back to the club and Katie comically trying to keep up in her high-heels, the older twin breeches the silence with a clearing of her throat,

"So, Emsy. You didn't answer me last time we met…anyone special in your life? Any fit blokes you have your eye on?"

"I'm still gay Katie." The red-head snaps, immediately regretting pandering to her sister these last few weeks when she had said she wished for them to reconnect. That she was sorry for everything that had happened before Emily left Bristol.

"Right. Got it. Just checking it wasn't _actually_ a phase like Mum said. Still a muff-muncher, fine by me." Katie says breezily.

Emily scowls warningly at her twin, indicating she is definitely not be fucked with on the subject. Katie looks at her apologetically for her less than tactless words and approach. She tries to rectify her faults and engage with her sister,

"Alright. How about women? Any special lady in your life that you can tell me about?" she asks and then adds tentatively, to make sure she is understood, "Cos, like, I want…to know."

Her long lost sister's words stir Emily enough to look at her properly since picking her up. A rush of remorse for the moments she'd missed having a sister to talk to engulf her. It makes her want to confide in the now near stranger.

But she is still weary, it is after all entirely the older girls' fault she has missed out on having a sister who would always be there for her, to talk to about crushes and tell you everything will be ok because they know you, they know that you are the greatest person alive. Katie took that away from her, from them both it seems and you can't turn off a thing like hating someone for four years, in a matter of minutes,

"If you must know" she starts brazenly, "Her name's Naomi. She's rather beautiful."

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She drags her sister's manicured hand through the sweaty noisy club in search of her friends. She has one thing she needs to do before she tells Naomi about Katie. Tonight, she decides, she tells Naomi everything.

After arduously elbowing people out of the way, Emily and a jostled Katie manage to come within a metre or so of the redhead's troupe. She hangs back from them, out of sight as she talks closely to her sister's ear,

"If you're serious about getting back into my good graces and letting us have a go at a proper relationship, you can start by doing me a favor."

"Yeah, like, anything Emsy" her twin lisps, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Good. Thanks." She replies. "I need you to help me help Effy."

Katie recoils instinctively, "You want me to help that Stonem bitch?"

"Hey! I will drop you Katie, I did it before. You're the one who wanted to make things right between us, it would help if you didn't slag off the one person who didn't abandon me."

"Alright I'm sorry, just a habit you know!" she tries to calm the fiery redhead down. "How can I help?"

"Do you see the tall, dark haired guy dancing near her?" she points.

"Yeah, that well lush one?"

Emily rolls her eyes, "Yes him, I need you to flirt with him a little bit-

"On it!"

"-wait!"

Apparently Katie doesn't need telling twice as Emily is left anxiously waiting to see what Effy's reaction will be to her secret weapon. She just wants her to feel jealous enough to realise how much she wants Freddie and that she is a fool to not make him hers properly while she still can.

Emily feels proud that she is helping her friend as she had helped her this evening, even if they are in slightly different ways. The redhead is trying to spy Naomi at the bar where she left her when out of the corner of her eye she sees something to make her surge towards her group.

Katie is kissing Freddie like she needs the air in his lungs to live; Emily curses herself for not anticipating her sister's insatiable appetite for fit blokes and their hands all over her. Emily dislodges Katie from a very surprised Freddie with a "pop" and dares to glance at a near by Effy, who's face screams bloody murder at the pair.

Emily can't decide who Effy wants to kill more, her scheming friend or her clueless sister. The redhead hastily leaves her scowling and seething after them.

"Fucking hell Katie, I told you to flirt with him, not shag him on the spot!"

"Seriously? _That_ _was_ only flirting. Jesus, you must be a fucking nun. No wonder you haven't done the nasty with Naomi yet."

Emily scoffs but refuses to rise to the statement, instead she once again grabs a puzzled Katie and searches for her blonde, oblivious to the fact that Naomi had seen a petite girl with a distinctive button nose and arse to die for, kissing her best friend in a way that would make the most heterosexual of girls weep.

She had seen Emily kiss Freddie with so much passion that her eyes and heart stung immediately and she could think of nothing else but getting out of that place and away from that sight as fast as she could.

She finds herself in the outside smoking-area. Gulping lungful after lungful of cold air, trying to make sense of the devastation she has just witnessed. All is lost she thinks. Emily is very straight and that is that. And then the tears come, hard and fast and mercilessly. She angrily bats them away and tries to light a cigarette but her lighter fails her. She throws it against the wall opposite her,

"Fucking fuck!" she grabs her own hair with her hands and crouches on the floor, head swimming with Emily and all the alcohol she's had tonight.

A voice comes forward from around the corner, "Are you OK? Do you want a lighter?"

A girl comes into view and Naomi recognizes her as the one she was dancing with before Emily took her to the bar and left her there. _Fucking Emily. Fucking hell, my life._

Naomi stands up surprisingly steadily and accepts the flame for her cigarette now between her lips. The girl pockets her lighter and slowly come closer, coy smile on her nervous lips. Naomi catches the look and silkily asks her,

"What's your name?"

"Amelia" she replies and then squeaks as Naomi crashes their mouths together, _That'll fucking do. _She thinks somberly. She couldn't care less that the random girl is moaning against her tongue but the loud noise of a door being swung open and smashing against the outside wall surprises her and makes her jump away from whoever was slobbering on her face.

Her jaw and stomach immediately drop when she sees two of the last person she wanted to see her like this, one of which carelessly screeches in shock,

"Ew! Lezzers!"

"Katie!" one of the Emily's scolds,

"Emily?" the blonde gapes at her friend, the one she recognizes as the real Emily, as the one who didn't cry homophobic slander, the one she realises didn't kiss Freddie, but also the one who seems to have a very real _twin_ that she failed to tell her about.

"Naomi…" The redhead tries to apologise for all the things she hasn't said,

"Um…it's Amelia-" the girl coos to the blonde,

"Naomi?" Katie skeptically regards the redhead and balks at her sister's choice in women; she apparently likes those that stick their tongues down randoms' throats.

_Katie._ The blonde thinks, finally gaining some understanding but hurt by the lack of trust shown by her supposed friend. She looks between the two sisters for a moment before sending Emily a crushed look and robotically moving away from the three girls into the cold night without another word.

"Naomi!" Emily calls desperately; this is definitely not how she wanted to tell Naomi the important things about her.

The girl Naomi had been kissing looks affronted about being just left by the blonde, she turns her anger on the girls, obviously there sudden presence made her leave,

"Look what you did! Who the fuck do you think you are?" she spits at Emily's direction.

Katie stands protectively in the way and musters up all the bitchyness and sass she was born to use, "I'm Katie fucking Fitch, who the fuck are you?"

The girl is bowled over by the force of nature, she stammers "I-I'm Amel-"

"It doesn't matter who you are," she stares the girl down, unawares of Emily sitting herself down on the steps and cursing her luck, "All I know is you're in the way of my sister having true love. So you can, like, pretty much fuck off now."

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Emily is confident she has come to the right place as she strides through the door the Bouncer opened for her. All it takes is a short glance around the atmospherically lit bar to find the back of a distinct blonde head facing away from her and bent low to sip absentmindedly from her drink.

Emily takes a deep breath and wordlessly sits on the high stool next to the glamorous blonde at the redwood bar. A bartender in a crisp white shirt stops cleaning some glasses when he notices her and asks what she would like to drink.

"I'll have whatever she is having please." She husks from unpracticed use of her voice. She feels the blonde sigh next to her as the man smiles politely and returns seconds later with a measure of amber liquid in a short glass with ice.

The red-head is saved from thinking of the right thing to say to her friend when she notices that Naomi's silent tears before she arrived have now turned into sniffles and hasty swipes to her cheeks.

"Why are you crying Naoms?"

It is probably the first time since the girls have been friends that Naomi wishes Emily didn't know her so well, she had come to the bar to think and be alone and try in vain to unsucker the little red-head from her mind and heart.

"Its nothing. I'm just being silly." She croaks.

Emily sips her drink and tries to get the blonde to look at her, she doesn't quite know how to say the next thing on her mind.

"Is it to do with Katie?"

"Look Emily, I don't want to argue with you, but yes I'm pissed off that you've completely omitted the fact that you have a fucking _twin_ the entire time I've known you, since we've been friends." She hisses,

"It's a pretty big fucking thing to miss out. So I just wanna know why you didn't tell me, and why you thought it was OK to just spring her on me, like it wasn't a fucking weird thing to do!"

Emily looks grave and understands too well how she feels,

"I know it was shitty of me, not to mention strange behavior. But if you will let me explain, I have some pretty good reasons for not telling you about her."

Naomi finally swivels in her stool and looks at the red-head she wants to know everything about,

"Please don't lie to me anymore Emily. I won't judge you, whatever you think you have to hide, you don't have to do that with me. I just want to know you."

Emily feels sick, she feels as though the truth is trying to throw itself out of her throat. "The thing is…"

"The truth is…that…", coughs,

"I'm um…", inhales,

"It's that…" exhales,

"I haven't spoken to Katie in four years…not since college…"

"Because…b-because…"

Emily loathes that her hands are shaking and her mouth feels cold and dry. She came out to her family once before and remembers the crippling fear, she loathes to feel that again now in front of Naomi, knows she just needs to say it, get it over with, be brave, change everything,

"Um…She didn't like the fact that…that I'm…er…that I'm gay."

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Eternity.

That's what it felt like; the space between Emily finally coming out to Naomi and the blonde then saying something.

"What?" She had said. She needed to here it again, needed to comprehend that her dreams came true.

"I'm gay too Naomi."

A pause before, "OK."

It is only now when Naomi listens to Emily revealing her old college life that Naomi wallows in the solid fact that Emily could be hers. Could be interested, could go out with her. That they could work.

Holes in the red-head's story are slowly filling and solidifying, making sense to the blonde. She listens intently, partly elated in the knowledge that the woman she is soundly in love with is very much capable of falling in love with her too. But she is also profoundly sad for her little redhead, that she had to go through so much hurt, neglect and rejection.

She can't imagine ever having the strength leave all she knew and the people who were supposed to love her, to just give up on them, when it wasn't her fault, they chose not to love her. Listening to her words Naomi's heart breaks when she realises Emily thinks she ran away from her problems like a coward, when actually Naomi knows she left to take herself away from the pain, she left those she loved unconditionally because they could never love her back. Naomi knows that Emily is the strongest person she has ever met, and she will never stop trying to make her realise that.

"So after I came out Katie made it her mission to make my life a living hell. Spouting the usual bullshit like I chose to be a "freak", that I should stop being stupid."

Naomi waves over more drinks and props her head with her palm and silently urges Emily to let it all out to her,

"Mum was awful. Her denial of my homosexuality at first was so infuriating and hurtful, but eventually when she didn't change I just got used to it and became a bit rebellious because of it. I just wanted to show them that they couldn't hurt me, that I didn't give a fuck."

Naomi reaches to cover Emily's hand that was spinning a glass on the bar, and gave it a loving squeeze,

"But you did."

Emily laughs bitterly through her nose, "Yes. I did. So much."

The band was still playing, true to Naomi's word, at three in the morning. A slow song now and Naomi gets off her stool to wrap the smaller girl into a hug, trying to let her know how sorry she is, but that things are better now because Naomi will do everything to take care of her.

The embrace slowly evolves into a gentle dance when Naomi subtly sways them. It causes Emily to hum in appreciation.

"I'm so sorry for what you had to go through Emily."

"Thank you. But Katie has been apologizing and wants us to be close again."

Naomi is silent in her disapproval of the Katie she now has a vivid picture of.

"That's why I brought her to the club tonight, I was going to introduce you." Emily sniggers into Naomi's neck, "Probably not the best moment in hind-sight, not my most thoughtful drunken decision."

Naomi cringes at the memory of Emily bursting in on her and the girl from the club. "Hmm. Me neither."

"But thanks for being about to tell me."

"No problem." Emily sighs happily.

Song after song plays through the night and Naomi and Emily cling to each other the whole time, content to be close and open with the person they care about the most. It is only until they are the last people drifting under the low, dim lights and serene music that a thought occurs to the blonde,

"Ems?"

"Mmn?" she replies, head tucked under Naomi's chin,

"Does this mean we have to watch The L Word together now?"

Emily chuckles gratefully at the back of her throat causing Naomi's face to crack in ridiculous smile.

"God no. I fucking hate that show."

"Oh thank Christ. Me too."

Emily laughs again, mainly at the surreal openness of their conversation and that she can only revel in the hope that all their future conversations will be like this.

"Yet another thing we didn't know we had in common until tonight." She teases.

Naomi furrows her brow and becomes thoughtful but decisive,

"Ems?"

"Mmn?" she giggles lightly at the sense of déjà vu.

"Can we promise to be more honest with each other from now on?"

Emily doesn't move her head from where she can feel the vibrations from Naomi when she speaks,

"Yeah. We can."


	13. Chapter 13

**I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT, BUT I COULDN'T WRITE ANYTHING FOR A WHOLE SEMESTER! I WAS THAT BUSY!**

**YOU MAY WANT TO RE-READ A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS TO GET A BETTER FLOW OF THINGS?**

**I really hope you all still want to follow this story, I have every intention of finishing it so your continued love and patience will be much appreciated. You are all fantastic and I write this for you as well as for me. I've missed Naomily so much, the magic will never die :D**

**THIS IS A MASSIVE NOD /HOMMAGE TO STILL ONE OF THE GREATEST NAOMILY FICS IMO AND MY ALL TIME FAVES…I'LL LET YOU GUESS WHICH IT IS ;)**

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><p>The truth can change a woman.<p>

If asked, Naomi wouldn't be able to tell you how many times a day she fantasizes with renewed vigor (read: detail) about her and Emily's possible future relationship together.

Ever since that eventful night two weeks ago, when Emily confessed her Sapphic inclinations, the graceful blonde has not been able to quell the tempest of butterflies swirling around her tummy at the thought that Emily could love her back.

The seemingly constant giddiness she feels is almost childlike, as if all at once she has discovered that Father Christmas _is_ real, fairies _do_ exist and her father _will_ take her to Disney-Land like he promised.

Then, at the same time; she is a teenager. A brooding obsessive teen with a secret, with a crush that rivals all of the star-crossed lovers that we're ever dreamt up.

Far, far, less innocently, Naomi's mind also naturally wanders to sex. _Sex with Emily. Emily is gay. Sex with gay Emily. _

All of the fantasies she'd ever entertained about the red-head never failed to make her bite her bottom lip randomly and shake her head violently to rid her of a sudden blush as she would try to serve her customers hot coffee. Even when she was alone, just her and heady images in her swollen mind, her fantasies hardly varied, just her reaction was a little more… intense. But these days, fantasies of their first time hardly ever include feather light touches, whispered questions into sweaty skin, and breathy confirmations. They're more likely to include vigor and determined parting of flesh as Naomi simulates alone at night, climaxing hard and shakily to the husky voice in her head - "make me fucking come Naomi". She can't help but think of all the things that Emily could do to her now that Naomi knows the petite redhead has…experience.

_We are so alike and in so many ways._

With each second she feels her secret feelings for the red-head may erupt, too sudden to consider the consequences of her fiery passion, possibly leaving irreparable devastation in its wake. But she refuses to believe that something that feels so right could ever be wrong in any regard.

She feels a natural affinity with Emily, to the likes of which she is sure she has never experienced with anyone else before. _Everything is going to be fine, right?_

The truth can change a woman.

Case and point, Naomi _singing_ to her playlist, which mostly includes Adele songs, five of which are duplicates of _Make You Feel My Love_, so that she can hum and sing along to it as many times during the day as possible.

Naomi never sings. Probably because she _can't_ sing very well but she'd actually never had the inclination. Nothing to really sing about. Sure she'd sing along at gigs or clubs but the energy for it was directed into focusing on not dancing like a spoon.

She finds the song resonates with her nowadays, something to do with how much she would show Emily she loves her and how she will keep her, proving that she's not like the rest of the people past and present in Emily's life, she won't disappoint her, given the chance, she will show her how much she loves her.

"_When the rain_

_Is blowing in your face_

_And the whole world_

_Is on your case_

_I could offer you_

_A warm embrace_

_To make you feel my love"_

Its around the third time the song has played, just this Saturday, and Naomi has progressed form humming it to full on crooning along when Effy finally looks up from her paper she was (trying) to read on the bar and snap at the blonde,

"Seriously, this fucking song again! It's bad enough she's _constantly_ on the radio without you ramming her down my throat every spare minute in the day!" the brunette growls, "I swear Campbell, if you don't stop playing _fucking_ Adele, I won't "set fire to the rain", I'll set fire to _you._"

Naomi immediately stops singing. She doesn't know she does it, or that she does it so passionately. She may have even closed her eyes at one point. She should really watch her heart that beats so freely on her sleeve these days.

"Alright, alright, keep your vagina on." She mutters as she skips over to her iPod dock and switches from her "E" playlist to "StarBooks Tunez" and The Black Keys tumbles through the shop speakers.

"Thank fuck for that." Effy dead-pans, her eyes not leaving her newspaper.

Naomi wrinkles her brow at the Brunette as she prepares an order for another customer, "I thought you would be the kind of person who would dig Adele?"

Effy sighs and her blue eye twitches, _Did she honestly just use "dig" in a sentence. Ridiculous human-being,_

"I used to like her before I found out you did."

"Fuck you!" Naomi retaliates as an amused customer leaves with their coffee,

"Fuck you right back."

Damn Effy and her ability to make any and all comebacks completely desert the blonde. Naomi is stood looking annoyed and gaping like a fish when any memory of why she was irked disappears as Emily shimmers through the door wearing a tank-top and what appear to be men's jeans.

"Hiya Fitch" Naomi breathes,

"Hiya Campbell" Emily replies, smirking at their "in-thing". They had invented it after watching Young At Heart at one of their newly regular movie-nights. Right off the bat they discovered a mutual love of old movies –the more musical the better and (hence) Doris Day. Naomi repressed her delight at Emily openly calling Miss Day a "proper Babe" and clung on to the idea that it was because of the blonde hair and blue eyes and not the fact that she sings like an angel.

Naomi couldn't sing. But she still did it these days. But not now. Emily is here. And Naomi has blonde hair and blue eyes. And she's not saying anything…

"G-good day?" she gets outs eventually when she recognizes Emily's politely patient expression morph into confusion because Naomi had been gawping at her for a good five million years.

She sees Effy roll her eyes, so she blushes.

"Yeah fine thanks, just been painting the living room actually," she says whilst gesturing to her speckled clothes, "We're redecorating it." She adds redundantly but sends a friendly grin anyway.

"Oh, cool, well I'd love to see it some time. The living room, when it's done." She rambles and then distracts attention away from herself by awkwardly rearranging syrup bottles at the back of the bar. Effy disguises a snort into a cough.

"Where's Freddie today?" Emily asks genuinely but makes Effy stiffen in her stool beside her, her reading forgotten.

Naomi replies affectionately, "Probably still in bed, he went on a bit of a bender last night...again." she punctuates with a small frown.

Neither Naomi or Emily are surprised, because of the mention of Freddie, that Effy suddenly announces she's leaving them to finish what Emily started in their house.

Naomi says a small "Bye", preparing Emily's order, as she watches the brunette girl stalk away with her paper.

As Effy leaves the shop she lets a gay couple enter - Jo and Eve, long time regulars of _Starbooks_. She is perplexed by how blind Emily was to Naomi's blatant gayness. Every lesbian within a ten-mile radius makes the pilgrimage to _Starbooks_ for their coffee, and she surmises with a smirk that it probably has nothing to do with the way the beans are ground…

Naomi waves excitedly at her friends coming into the shop. She likes Jo and Eve, as well as them being loyal customers, she likes how cute they are together and often wishes when listening to them chat with her about what they did at the weekend, that she had a certain someone in her life that gelled as well with her as Jo and Eve did together.

As the couple take off their sunglasses and approach the barista, Jo's eyes light up as she sees a pretty redhead at the bar and loudly but innocently asks Naomi,

"Oh this must Emily! We've heard _so_ much about you."

Naomi gives her a Campbell Death Glare and tries to indicate to Eve that she needs make her girlfriend shut-the-fuck-up, right-the-fuck-now.

"Jo! Eve! Nice to see you!" Naomi quickly deflects from any embarrassing indication to Emily that she talks about the hot redhead from across the road to Jo and Eve with startling depth and regularity. The pair share a knowing smirk and mutually decide to lend a hand to their hopeless blonde friend's cause.

The blonde barista gestures with a lopsided grin to Jo and Eve and back to Emily, "Guys this is my friend Emily, she's practically my neighbour,

and owns _Through The Looking Glass _across the street."

"Part-owns," Emily chides playfully, "The brunette who you saw just leaving is my house-mate and business partner. We bought the shop around four years ago. Pleased to meet you both." She adds with a gentle handshake to each of the woman consecutively. Eve raises her eyebrows to Naomi in a look that says she finds in incredibly endearing that Emily still shakes people's hands, who does that anymore? Naomi ducks her head blushing faintly as she finds she completely agrees with Eve.

Jo appears to be somewhat charmed by Emily also, giving Naomi an enthusiastic thumbs-up when Emily isn't looking. Her friends' behaviour making her flustered, Naomi can do little else but roll her eyes characteristically as she makes Emily's drink.

What she hadn't anticipated was the next exchange between her three friends "Yeah, we love your shop, obviously Naomi recommended it to us" Eve gushes while she wraps her arm around her girlfriend's waist and Emily feels warmed by Naomi's thoughtfulness, "in fact, she tells all _us_ girls in here about your place, at least once a week!"

Jo picks up where her girlfriend left off, "Yeah, even though we're like "we know Naomi, you made us go, your right, it's awesome" she's so cute!"

At the mention of "_us_ girls" Emily discretely looks around the shop and notices that Starbooks does indeed have rather a distinct concentration of women residing in it. She files the information away unsure of what to do with it at the moment. Feeling a little bowled over by the energy of the couple in front of her she manages a polite, "Thank you, I'm glad – everyone likes it."

"So Emily, the brunette, she's your "housemate", interesting way of putting it."

Jo tries to hide the grin she feels coming at the level of tact her girlfriend is displaying when questioning poor Emily, but if it gets the girls somewhere then maybe a little forceful push will find them being thanked by the bumbling pair one day,

"Erm, putting what? I don't know-" Emily asks perplexed,

"Well she is your _girlfriend_ yeah?"

_Dear Ground, swallow me now, yours Naomi Campbell._

"My girl- No, she's not. Um, why would – how did –"

"Oh my fault, I just assumed you were both gay, seeing as your always in here!" she chuckles.

When Emily scans the room for a second time she notices that most of the women are trying to inconspicuously follow the foursome's conversation, and an even greater number seem only to show particular interest in Naomi. With certain things finally clicking into place, Emily feels a sudden and strong feeling of ownership over her blonde friend and can't help the strings of jealousy pull her face into a scowl directed about the shop.

Naomi tries to direct the conversation away but Emily is holding her own, "I'm gay, but Effy isn't" she says confidently making Naomi's stomach flip delightfully at hearing the redhead say it aloud for a second time, bringing the memory of their night back to her.

Jo steps in again, hamming it up, "Oh then maybe you can be the one to finally capture the heart of the elusive Miss Campbell."

The blonde squeaks with embarrassment but is not shown mercy yet because Eve adds, "and it isn't for lack of offers either! Of course not, look at her; she's _gorgeous_."

Emily's throat feels warm with jealousy and anxiety from all the…distractions the blonde is apparently faced with all-day every day.

"But! Alas none of them seem to…ruffle her feathers…" states Jo.

"Float her boat." Eve clarifies,

"Yeah, get her going." Jo winks,

"Okay, you two! Thanks for that, moving on!" Naomi says desperately.

Emily allows relief to take over her as she no longer feels so threatened that by the time she figures out how to go further with her blonde dream, she may no longer be available.

"Alright, can we get a skinny late and green tea then please babes?" Jo relents.

Naomi nods happily, "'Course. Lemme just finish Emily's mocha…" she says, then discovering she's drawn a foam heart into the redhead's drink.

"Aw Naomi, that's so sweet," Eve drawls, "how come you never put your heart in any of _our_ drinks?" she gestures quickly to the whole patronage in _Starbooks._

Emily's conspiratorial smile cannot help but break her face, she bites her bottom lip when Naomi looks at her almost seriously and says,

"Because she's earned it."

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_When the evening shadows_

_And the stars appear_

_And there is no - one there_

_To dry your tears_

_I could hold you_

_For a million years_

_To make you feel my love_

Naomi pads over to Emily where she is sitting cross-legged on the comfortable beat-up sofa in the centre of the empty shop.

It had just gone eight o' clock when Emily arrived at Naomi's request to see her after the days work, with the intrigue that the beautiful blonde had something for her.

And now Emily waits expectantly with an impish grin as Naomi casually puts down a fresh mug of Emily's favourite mocha and sits opposite her, legs in a mirrored position as she clutches a wrapped rectangular parcel.

Emily notes with an inward swoon that Naomi had drawn another heart in her drink, _She earned it._ She picks up the beverage so that she doesn't jump the blonde then and there, looking incredibly adorable fidgeting with the object in her pale hands.

The redhead smirks over the rim of her coffee and cocks a dark eyebrow,

"What's that?"

The blonde starts to juggle the package in her hands a few times, apparently trying to dispel nervous excitement.

"This…I am _pretty_ confident. Is your most favourite book of all time." She drawls dramatically, assuredly.

Emily gulps. Something feels different this time, like she actually believes her, but it can't be true. The blonde can't have figured her out that easily. She can't already know her so intimately, know the fabrics of her very being better than the very few people who do already, even without spending years in friendship with her or without Emily revealing very much at all about herself these past few months.

It excites Emily to think that this amazing woman across from her has taken the time to figure her out and actively taken an interest in the things she likes. But it feels like more than that. The knowledge Naomi may or may not have about her is deeply personal to Emily, the fact that Naomi is discovering her, aching to know her, actually makes her want to be right. She wants the blonde's current arrogant smirk to blow into a huge smug grin because she is finally right.

It makes Emily's voice waver slightly; "Y-yeah?" clears her throat, still smirking at the confident blonde. _She's even wrapped it up and everything, like it's a –_

"It's a gift. From me to you." Naomi states as she thrusts it at her, both arms out-stretched.

Emily carefully takes the gift from Naomi giving her a look that makes Naomi feel shy all of a sudden, makes her doubt for a second until she remembers,

"I honestly don't know why I didn't think of it sooner." She says simply as Emily giddily starts to unwrap the book, her heart pounding,

"I mean, it's a pretty _gay_ book…"

And there it is, held in her small hands, a first edition; _Fingersmith by Sarah Waters._

Emily can't believe it. _Fucking hell._ Naomi had figured it out. Emily's favourite book in the whole world is here, in first edition hard back, in her hands, smacking her in the face. Forgetting the plethora of gorgeous classics and works of pure art by inimitable deities of literature, Emily Fitch's favourite thing to read over and over is simply a modern novel of an old tale. And Naomi Campbell has figured that out.

_I know you_

_Haven't made_

_Your mind up yet_

_But I would never_

_Do you wrong_

_I've known it_

_From the moment_

_That we met_

_No doubt in my mind_

"Fuck!" she had meant to think but ends up saying. Naomi breathes a private sigh of relief, even though she was sure she had it right (she even wrapped it up!), the niggling doubt still made her nervous about Emily's reaction. But Emily's face erases all of that negativity, it tells her that she nailed it and she's stupidly surprised by her intuitiveness. Naomi feels impossibly smug and proud of herself, _God I'm good._

As Emily holds the precious books and runs a pad of a finger lovingly over the title, her eyes are gloriously bright and she smiles in wonder at the woman across from her,

"I-I love it! This is amazing, _thank you_ so much!" She quickly places the novel next to her forgotten drink on the table and rushes forward to crush Naomi into a brilliant hug.

The blonde's arms are quick to squeeze back her shoulder blades and middle, laughing at Emily's gushing and at the chance to be so near the lovely scent of her vibrant hair.

The embrace is short because Emily pulls away, only to leave her lips and plant them on Naomi's own warm, full, soft mouth in quick sweet… _kiss._

It was a peck. A short, innocent joining of their mouths. It happened in such a way that Naomi can't help but feel like it was a kiss that a girlfriend would give you. A kiss from someone one who knows you so well by now they are practically half of you, have been through everything together and has loved you since she was twelve.

"Fuck." Naomi can't help but whisper as soon as Emily's lips left hers, her own tingling, their faces still so close. She has been dreaming about this very moment; their first kiss for an immeasurably long time. And now it has finally happened, it's as if they've been doing it for years.

Her brain is misfiring, short circuiting, she thinks she see's Emily's pupils drown her usually brown orbs, her lids heavy with want, her breaths shallow with need. It makes her rash, unthinking, so she leans in, oblivious to the consequences. Until she realises Emily is leaning in too, and when their lips connect, each of them pushing, then sucking, her whole world explodes.

Naomi whimpers in the back of her throat, _I'm fucking kissing Emily. Oh, fuck._ Throughout all of the scenarios Naomi had ever played out in her head about her kissing Emily for the first time, none of them had ever anticipated it to be quite this…desperate, she is struggling to contain the supernova of feelings within her when she realises she wants all of Emily, all over her, right fucking now.

_I'd go hungry_

_I'd go black and blue_

_I'd go crawling_

_Down the avenue_

_Know there's nothing_

_That I wouldn't do_

_To make you feel my love_

Its like Emily can't think. She literally doesn't have a thought in her head as she hungrily kisses the lips she's been dreaming of and ached for. She gently slides her hands from Naomi's shoulders and up her beautiful neck into her hair.

Somehow she has ended up in Naomi's lap and can't help a groan escaping at how sexy it is that she is above the blonde, kissing her, pulling her head down gently by the grip she has in her hair and owning her with her passion.

Just like seconds ago, Naomi can't hold back any longer, so when she feels Emily part her lips, she presses slightly harder and tenderly touches her tongue to Emily's. At the first contact, the red-head instantly throbs shockingly and feels herself become as wet and as slippery as Naomi's tongue.

Naomi moans as she feels Emily reciprocate and subsequently massage their tongues together, having never felt anything so amazing in her life.

Heat racks up exponentially as Emily begins to rock her hips instinctively, driving Naomi crazy with want, _she wants this as much as I do, _she realises giddily as she slides her hands boldly beneath Emily's t shirt and feels the smaller girls liquid smooth skin for the first time, she gasps as Emily does when her fingers dance across her taut pale stomach.

Emily groans and grinds harder making Naomi move her palms to Emily's back, finding her bra strap and undoing it, to swiftly bring her warm hands to Emily's front to caress Emily's bare breasts after ghosting over pink pebbled nipples.

Naomi groans audibly and moves her kisses from Emily's moaning mouth to her creamy neck, the feel of Emily in her hands is overwhelming, she squeezes her eyes shut against her skin.

Emily can't hear anything over the sound of her own ridiculously erratic breathing, but she feels everything. Pinching and cupping and rubbing and sucking, "oh fuck!" she whines when she sees that Naomi has bunched up her t-shirt over her breasts and has fervently attached her glib mouth to a stiff nub.

She almost collapsed on Naomi then, saves her herself by holding the back of her blonde head firmly to her breast and the other arm wrapped around the top of her feminine frame for dear life.

But she has to detach when Naomi is insistently tugging the shirt off her body the rest of the way, silently pleading her to lift her arms. So she does, and her vision becomes dark for a second. When her gaze meets Naomi's again and the shirt is flung away, she is rewarded with a look so unguardedly full of desire, eyes black and hooded, bruised lips parted and breathing ragged it causes a fresh wave of wetness to rush her.

She needs to take care of that, right now. Emily firmly places her palms on the blonde's chest, where the bones are, to make the woman lie back and settle on the cushions purposefully with a whimper. Emily takes a moment to regard how long Naomi is before meeting her groin with her own.

Can you cry out and hiss at the same time? It's not important she thinks as she feels Naomi's hands move from where they were gripping the material of the sofa to pinch and knead the place where her bum and thighs curve, with four of her fingers as thumbs grip her.

Emily raises her hips half a foot off the blonde to bring herself back down again, involuntarily tensing her arse as Naomi squeezes hard again. She keeps the contact between them when she asks herself why isn't she kissing her still? She connects their mouths and moans at the feel of the tip of Naomi's tongue, Emily continues to grind their clothed centres together, the pulses making her clit feel like it's throbbing.

Naomi's eyes roll into the back of her head at a particularly zealous thrust from the redhead gasping above her. The feel of Emily's bare skin, especially her shoulders as she licks and bites them when the pleasure gets too great, makes her head swim with images of her and the red-head in this similar position during their game of Twister. The memory and the thought of such a delicious fantasy coming true makes her clit incredibly hard, so she forces Emily's hips down into her with the hands that are on her behind, desperately trying to move them towards simultaneous release.

_The storms are raging_

_On the rolling sea_

_And on the highway of regret_

_The winds of change_

_Are blowing wild and free_

_You ain't seen nothing_

_Like me yet_

Naomi's jeans are tight whereas Emily's are baggy, making it difficult to be rubbed just right by the seams. Naomi sees it as a chance to easily slip her hands under the waistband and caress Emily's flesh more thoroughly without the thick material. Her head swims when she feels soft cotton boxers hugging the perfect posterior.

Emily realises she is very close to coming, and feels awfully conflicted, thinking that what they're doing is too much too fast, not only for their "relationship" but for her. Panic and anxiety build when she feels Naomi's hands move to the front of the redhead's jeans and her fingers pluck at the buttons. And she finds that she just…can't.

"Naomi…" she breathes between heated delicious kisses, the first words to be spoken since their explosive connection.

"I-I can't." she whines, disappointed in herself for not being able to let go and share a moment with the blonde that she so deserves.

The blonde stops her fingers' progress on the redhead's jeans and looks up at her, breathing just as heavily but looking vulnerable and strained.

Naomi doesn't say anything; afraid that if she does their moment will be shattered completely. So she just stares at her, trying to convey all of the care she feels for this incredible woman she loves so much. Willing for her to know, by her eyes alone that it's ok. She's not going to hurt her. She implores her with crystal blue orbs to stay. _Please let me do this._

Keeping their eyes locked conveying a state of closeness and charged intimacy, Naomi slowly moves her hands to her own jeans so as not to spook Emily, freeing the buttons one by one and slowly carefully slipping her hand inside, all the while watching Emily's eyes flare with desire and her mouth release a whimper of want.

Naomi's fingers meet an abundance of wetness and warmth as she traces her pads so slowly through her own length. Her eyes close for a second at the sensation and her hips lift minutely with her bending neck. But she is quick to remain in eye contact with Emily, as she shows her who she's doing this for. Emily settles herself lower on Naomi and her eyes are blown wide in amazement at Naomi breathing raggedly, touching herself beneath her, looking at her while she bites her lip with the pleasure she's feeling and wishing that was Emily's fingers swiping at her clit. _She's thinking about me fucking her._

As she hovers centimeters above her, Emily connects their lips again, making Naomi gasp intermittently for air. She can tell Naomi is really close when her hips start to erratically spike up, even though it looks as if Naomi controlling them not to. The thought alone nearly sends Emily over the edge then and there but it's not until she hears and sees Naomi softly chanting her name "Emily…Emily…Emily…Emily…", while she looks at her with so much pained pleasure that she thinks she could come with one more push of her hips,

"Oh, Emily!"

Naomi comes hard with the redhead's name on her lips and Emily is unthinking, blinded with lust at the spectacular vision beneath her when she drops her groin one last time onto the still moving hand within Naomi's jeans and shudders with a small grunt, liquid calmly soaking her underwear.

Their eyes are finally closed and their bodies close. They've only ever once been in a situation as similar to this. They're breathing hard and Emily's head is on Naomi's shoulder as they contemplate what they just did. How quickly things escalated. Emily's panic gradually returns as the gravity of the evening hits her like a sobering slap to the face.

Naomi extracts her hand gently from her underwear; disturbing Emily and making her sit up. The redhead keeps her head bowed, almost like in shame it hurts the blonde to realise. Emily starts to shift off the blonde and the sofa completely.

Forgetting that her hand is covered in the evidence of her own ministrations, Naomi stills the red head, holding her by her slim waist begging her to stay. She grimaces at the shiny clear marks she leaves on her alabaster skin. But even if Emily had noticed, she seems not to care, in fact she licks her lips absentmindedly as a war looks to be waging between her behind those dark eyes.

A decision is made when Emily moves off Naomi like she was scolded and quickly gathers her shirt and slips it on. Naomi is dying she is sure of it, this is what dying of a broken heart feels like, its taking everything within herself not to break down in front of the redhead now. All she hopes for is that they can talk about it,

"Em, please we can talk – "

"I can't." she says again, heading for the door, still avoiding those haunting eyes, "I'm sorry, I just can't."

When she leaves and the door clicks shut quietly, Naomi knows not to follow. She's too stunned to anyway. She notices the book still on the table, and the half empty cup and is reminded in soul shattering detail of what her and Emily finally just did. Every touch, every kiss, every gasp, moan and groan. She collapses back on the sofa and recalls how she felt looking at Emily looking at her while she came. She remembers Emily's soft shudder into her neck.

And then how she just…left. Looking like she'd done a terrible thing and not in actuality like she'd participated in the single greatest moment of Naomi's life. It is with the image of Emily's sad eyes and hastily retreating form that Naomi finally crumbles, crying the whole night through.

_I could make you happy_

_Make your dreams come true_

_Nothing that I wouldn't do_

_Go to the ends_

_Of the Earth for you_

_To make you feel my love, To make you feel my love._

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><p><strong>A long awaited chapter in more ways than one! I'd love to know your thoughts on Emily's decision in the end, there was a point to it don't fret. I know it seems like Emily is very indecisive and hot-headed and hypocritical etc etc but that's the point... all shall be revealed ;) Review? if you like? hope you all have a great New Year!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Just a short one peeps, but it's full of Emotions and the like. Did anyone spot my tribute to Coin Laundry in the last chapter?**

**Hope you like this, please enjoy :)**_  
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><p>Emily<em> had to keep her relationship with Sophia a secret ever since her girlfriend's break down at college. They were never particularly "out" but it had got to the point where Sophia didn't like them being seen together in public <span>at all<span>. _

_With rapidly increasing scarcity the couple would meet up in a deserted park somewhere or an alleyway for anything resembling intimacy that they were enjoying less and less. They sometimes managed a quick fumble in these glamorous locations, which was one of the main, but not the only factor that led to Emily feeling more depressed after than she cared to let on at the time. Especially when on the rare occasion they had a perfectly decent bed in the room that Sophia was staying in with her Cadet friend. But even then Sophia would plead with Emily, "not here" and extract a small loving hand from under her shirt. It was ridiculous but it was what her girlfriend needed and as long as she could claim her as such when they were together privately then that would do for the fiery redhead._

_In her own quiet moments though she couldn't help but feel she was losing her grip on her self. She had to hide such an integral part of herself, a part of herself she felt the most proud of that she couldn't help but feel like she was destroying her very being from the inside out._

_But as well as being proud and brave, Emily was strong and she would save the best part of herself for later. When the time was right her light and love would be able to burst forth and brighten the world around her. She would be forever happy because she would let her love out and others could let her love in._

_Eventually her friends started to notice her getting more and more reserved and closed off. Her previous ever present shine dulling with every passing day. With all of her spare time she spent not being with Sophia, Emily started to favor being alone, worried that her friends would notice the change she could feel happening, and would rather not give them the fuel to hate her as much as she had already started to hate herself._

_But Effy would point out in that way she had gotten used to from the beautiful blue-eyed oracle, she would state calmly as if it were the most obvious and easy thing in the world to understand that pushing her friends away would only make her self-hatred worse. If she couldn't be the person she exactly is with the people who really love her – for exactly who she is, she would never be able to love herself again._

_Emily loved Sophia and she loved her friends, so she tried and she battled to let them know but she reasoned they would be better off if they didn't know her like this: struggling and weak, so different. She just needed time to move quicker, so she and Sophia could be free to be themselves again, and Emily and everything would be back to normal. _

_But by the time she had driven most of her friends away by her actions she was even debating whether Sophia was fighting for them as much as she was, sacrificing as much as she had. She would conclude that in fact she wasn't and Emily was letting her, because Emily loved her so much. And she hated herself for it. _

_Only Effy resolutely remained in Emily's life. The girl was a savior in that sense, constantly reminding her that she mustn't forget who she really was. Effy told her she would stay, helping her remember for as long as it took. Effy told her she understood but wouldn't let her shut her out like she wanted to, like she did with the others who loved her. Emily didn't know that soon Effy would in fact be the only person she would ever allow to understand her, know her and get close to her for a very long time._

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The hours tick over with her arms crossed over her eyes as she shakes and cries, laying on her back on the sofa. She is not silent although she desperately tries to be.

It is the middle of the night and she no longer has any tears to spare. Not wanting to spend a second longer on the reminder of her sorrow, Naomi gingerly gets up off the sofa and makes her way to her own bed. She winces when she realises how wet she still is, a horrible reminder of just how hard she came under Emily.

And it is Emily, all of Emily that she thinks of as she crashes onto her mattress. Who is she kidding? She sobs again, more, as she replays their passion over and over again until finally as dawn ascends, utterly exhausted, sleep takes her.

She wakes blearily, everything feels sore but hollow. She had a horrible dream where she married Emily in a gorgeous church filled with all of their friends and family beaming. Emily had been the one to propose and both of them had cried, kissed and made love when Naomi said "yes".

Here they come again, the tears. She feels helpless and foolish. Thinks she knows how Freddie must feel. _Poor fucking Freddie._ Then she realises that she hasn't seen Freddie for a whole day, wonders how she could have missed him coming home. It's almost desperate and thirsty the way she walks teary-eyed into Freddie's room seeking comfort in solidarity, but most of all because he's her best friend and they've been through the worst things together. Knows he's the only one that can make her feel better right now.

"Freds, Freds –" she opens his door without knocking only to be perplexed to not find him in his usual state under the covers hidden from the world. She's shocked to see him in no state at all, in fact he's not even there and his drawers all look thoughtlessly disheveled.

"The fuck?" the blonde asks air as she skims her eyes around her best friends room. She already knows what he's gone and done even before she sees his favourite Banksy postcard missing from his notice board, but there on his desk with pen hastily scrawled on the back of it,

_Naomi,_

_Can't stand this._

_Going away for a bit._

_Spain, Cyprus maybe._

_Spend some time by myself._

_Thinking. By myself._

_Look after yourself._

_Freddie X_

At first she can't believe it, she's stunned and suddenly overwhelmed with how sorry she feels. Her rock has gone. The one person who could hold her and tell her everything is going to be ok has left the country because his own grief is that colossal.

As if she is going through the grieving stages, the split second of denial "This can't be happening to me, not now!" quickly changes to anger.

And it's all _her_ fault. She rips some clothes and shoes on and storms across the road.

She hammers on the door, it still being quite early she knows the girls will be in the house. The door is opened to a fully dressed Emily, still in the clothes from yesterday it pains Naomi to notice. But she's not here for this particular mess in her life. Her best friend fleeing the country, leaving her high and dry is a more pressing matter at the moment (she tells herself).

"Na-" Emily starts before Naomi barges past her indelicately,

"Where is she?" She fumes, looking around for herself anyway. It only adds to her rage that Effy calmly walks to where Naomi is from the kitchen.

"You!" Naomi thrusts Freddie's note to her, which Effy takes but ignores.

"You fucked him up! Now he's gone!" she shouts. "I need him Effy, and because of you I have no idea where he is, or when he'll be back, if at all!"

The blonde's display of power shocks Emily, she tries as hard as she can to read her but finds shes incapable of knowing what she will do next.

Emily tries damage control, fast "Hey! Just, please, calm down. What's happened?" Emily thinks she already knows anyway,

"It says he's gone, like Naomi said." Effy answers robotically.

Naomi feels like she's ready to snap, its too late to worry about how much of a raving lunatic she looks in front of Emily, "You don't even fucking care! You're such a fucking bitch!"

Emily is frightened that the blonde might actually hit Effy, the back of her mind tells her that Effy might want that.

"Naomi! I'm sorry about Freddie but you know the circumstances they're under, if Cook were to find out – "

"I don't believe this, you're defending her?" Naomi whips around to face Emily, her heart stinging like she had no idea it could, even after last night.

"Effy has always been there for me, I've known you what, three months?"

Ouch. Where did that come from? Why is she angry at _me_. Surely she's the one punishing me, _she's_ the one who hurt me. "So now this is about _us_, good lets get this sorted too."

"There is no _us_."

_Don't fucking cry in front of her now. _

_Fuck you Emily. She's angry at herself and taking it out on me. I know her, I know she wants someone to want her. Well I do want her, so she should be brave and want me back!_

Naomi takes a deep and what should be a calming breath before laying it all on the line, for the final time. The rest, she now sees it, will be up to Emily.

"But there could be. I don't know what happened to you four years ago to make you push people away Emily, but I would spend the next four years proving to you that I wouldn't let you. If you give me any indication that you want this Emily, and I believe you did last night, then I would fight for us.

I've met a lot of people in my life and I like to think I have a lot of friends. And even though I've known Freddie for years, I've never felt so…tethered to someone like I feel I do to you Ems, like, my chest has been blasted open and my soul…or my heart has left me. And the only way I can feel whole again is when I'm with you, because _you_ _have it._

So if you're really going to leave, to ignore this or really just don't want it then I…I need to know why, and please don't make up some lie. At least have the decency to leave me with the truth."

Emily sees the anguish in those blue orbs, knows she did that. Knows she should apologies and explain that she never meant to hurt her, would never want to do it again, but that it's just what she does. She sighs inwardly at the destruction in front of her eyes. She could stop it, she knows what to say to make Naomi happy.

"Who told you it was my favourite book?" is what she chooses to say instead.

Naomi just shakes her head, "Goodbye Emily. Let me know what you decide. Just be quick yeah? Because this hurts too much and I'm not sure how much I can take for the old Naomi to come back."

Then she leaves, to open the shop without Freddie and wait for him. However long it will take to find his way back.

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><p><strong>Thoughts? Feelings? Musings? Please let me know with a review :D<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

"_Hi, you've reached Freddie's dyslexia helpline, please leave a massage-"_

"- fucking! Fuck!"

The twentieth time she hears the voice-mail message she throws the phone against her wall and is out of her room before pieces of it hit the floor.

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Naomi groans quietly as she sees two of Starbooks' most frequent customers shuffle hesitantly through the shop door and towards the bar where the blonde is leaning against. She knows she must look like fried shit, and fuck if she doesn't feel like it. Her two friends approach her as carefully as if she _was_ fried shit.

"Y'alright?" Jo asks the blonde redundantly, staying close to her girlfriend's side, probably for protection. It's hard to tell what kind of mood the blonde may be in these days. She has hot milky weapons and an unpredictability that has seen wars waged on various inanimate objects and ignorant customers innocently ordering hazelnut mochas.

Naomi would laugh at the impropriety of the question if she didn't feel so much like she wanted to cry every second of the long day.

When she isn't not-sleeping due to how miserable she feels that her best friend has effectively fled the country, conveniently at the same time the love of her life spectacularly rejected her, after Naomi wanked herself off in front of her, making said love-of-her-life subsequently avoid her like the plague, Naomi invests all of her barely-wakeful moments into the shop. She spends hours unnecessarily cleaning, stock-checking, alphabetizing, advertising, re-stock-checking and accounting all so that she may prevent herself from thinking about how much she _misses_ Freddie, and how much she regrets doing what she did with Emily.

She shouldn't have done as much as she did or let herself get so lost in the intense feeling of want she felt to have Emily's lips on hers and her skin beneath her fingertips. She shouldn't have pushed her so much as to make her break. Naomi broke them so Emily left, perhaps repulsed, perhaps too scared. One is worse than the other but it doesn't change that Emily ran from Naomi's feelings for her, when she was so open and raw and exposed, after she _showed_ her. In this very shop, on that very same couch that Naomi has to watch people sit on and read on and drink coffee on, blissfully loving life. Every. Fucking. Day.

It makes her cringe and sick to her stomach when it doesn't make her feel like a bear trap has snapped and squeezes around her heart, scraps of life and tears oozing out of her.

Naomi ignores her friend's question and instead asks the couple what they would like to drink. Sensing the blonde to be in a more cognitive state rather than an acutely zombie-like mood on this particular day since the three weeks post "E-Day" (that the more regular clientele to _Starbooks _have come to secretly refer to as the date after which Naomi had banned the colour red in its entirety in the shop and the use of the words; Emily, cute, button, brown, small, gym and vintage), Eve attempts some semblance of an actual conversation with the blonde,

"So, are you worried about these riots that seem to be popping up all over London?"

Naomi furrows her brow doesn't think why she should, tells her friend as such, "Not really, its just kids looking for something to do. And it was only one night." She scoffs at the way her friend is making it sound as if the city of London has been ablaze for a week, people panicked and hoodlums running amok.

"It'll all calm down by tomorrow, I don't see how one shop being broken into a few streets away means Camden and my business is threatened."

The blonde finishes the couples' drinks and is about to respond to their diatribe about how computer games and alcopops are demonizing the youth in Britain today, when a painfully familiar petite-woman with unfairly beautiful red hair quickly walks past the shop on the opposite side of the street, suitcase wheeling in tow and steps into a shop called _Through the Looking Glass._

The rest of the world is forgotten while Naomi internally notes that this is the second time she has seen Emily in the three weeks since she was abandoned still wet and panting. The first time had been a few days ago as her heart seized whilst she watched ducked behind that fucking couch as Emily wheeled a suitcase the opposite way down the street as she had just seen her do now.

Naomi is again left wondering where Emily has been on her little trip and to what purpose. The bear trap in her chest quivers and tightens, making her pale blue orbs glisten and drown uncomfortably.

The blonde does not notice the collective intake of breath from the knowledgeable customers throughout the shop, nor does she notice Jo and Eve slowly back away from the bar, fear evident on their faces. When Naomi had caught her first glimpse of Emily from the shop window around a week after "E-Day", the couple witnessed the blonde become catatonic in a matter of minutes, to remain as so until hours later when she suddenly and erratically blew up at a customer who had unfortunately asked the blonde's opinion on which of the Sarah Waters novels she had in-stock would be the wisest purchase.

Needless to say, Jo and Eve thank Goddess that Naomi is not exploding in a fit of rage at seeing Emily again, instead she mumbles something about them having to watch the shop a second as she trips upstairs to her living space, wiping unceremoniously at her eyes.

Jo and Eve look at each other and then slowly release the breath they were holding as they address the rest of the equally as tense clientele in the shop,

"Nobody mention, a _fucking_ word, about suitcases."


	16. Chapter 16

Emily collapses onto her bed having abandoned her suitcase at the foot of the stairs and quietly lets her mind flood with all that she has encountered within and of herself in the past week.

"How'd it go?"

Emily has her eyes closed and keeps them that way as she recognizes the timber of her friend's voice near the doorway.

She considers the question and remains still but not rigid on the bed. Even as she feels the bed dip and Effy lay beside her, putting a cool hand into hers, she allows herself to let go and accept the past for what it was and what the present is not.

_Her knee bounced with such anxious energy when the train approached Bristol station. She could see grey and weighty clouds overhead, giving the sense that she was being crushed. They swelled threateningly about to unleash their burden. The train entered a tunnel, shrouded in darkness Emily felt as though she were in a tomb – but then through the other side into the light, Emily saw Bristol for the first time in four years. Emily disembarked and heaven had sagged and split, a tremulous downpour curtained her old world. Finally she was back where it had all started._

_At the station exit she struggled to see across the car park for her twin-sister, Katie. She had agreed, quite enthusiastically, to offer her a ride to her destination._

_Eventually she spotted a petite purple-haired girl erecting an umbrella whilst hurriedly tottering towards her._

"_Fucking Bristol, I fucking swear – the forecast did __**not**__ look like this this morning!" Katie spluttered when she bundled them both under shelter._

_Emily's lips drew into a secret smile at the gesture – she's never known Katie to __**own**__ an umbrella let alone think to rescue her from a downpour with one._

_The irony did not escape the redhead that Katie who had once made her home a living hell was now the one to see her safely through her painful return. Still, she was very grateful for her presence during this…delicate and wildly important mission – fixing Emily._

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_The car journey was strained. Katie talked for both of the girls, filling Emily in on every detail of her life since they last saw each other – which was not that long ago. Emily sensed her twin desperately trying to distract from the elephant in the backseat. That being, of course, Emily's sudden and mysterious return to her home after four years of vowed severed communication and connection._

_She had called Katie the morning after her brief evening with Naomi – but, importantly to the redhead - before the blonde burst into her home blaming Effy for Freddie's disappearance. Emily had told Naomi that there wasn't an "us", because there wasn't. Even though Naomi had finally opened the door to the world she had always dreamed of, she could not cross the threshold. Not yet. She could not enter her dream world with Naomi when she felt like an imposter, an intruder. She needed to step from her old world and close that door behind her._

_Emily contemplated her past-life with great anxiety as they drove around her once local area. Everything was so achingly familiar, seeing where her grandparents used to live, and the rec hall, the shops, the clubs… Roundview College. _

_Overwhelmed by regret and hurt, Emily thought she could feel bile swooshing and climbing up her body. It made her nose tingle and her palms itch. She was diving into far more than she could probably handle right now. But now she has a strong incentive that she has never felt before, as steady and as constant as a heartbeat, Emily feels as though she deserves to be happy. _

_The feeling had been getting stronger every day since her night with Naomi at the club. It was not strong enough to make her think she could have happiness as soon as now, as soon as when Naomi had kissed her and told her the most wonderful life affirming things. She wants Naomi with all of her being and believes she will make her the luckiest, happiest person on the planet, but Emily still has her demons, and they wont let her have what she wants. Which is why Emily is on the way to her parents house. For the first time in four years, Emily is fighting and it is because she believes she is worth more._

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"_I'm just saying you might give the old crow a heart attack, Emily. She's not as feisty as she once was. Turning up soggy on her front door after all this time might not be the best choice."_

_The twins were outside their old family home, Emily was breathing deeply and stalling for time. The idea of confronting her mother and getting some form of closure if not some semblance of a relationship was all of a sudden extremely difficult to enforce. She felt utterly sick and thought as though she would not be able to make any form of sound resembling coherent speech._

_Her finger was poised on the bell…_

"_Oh for fucks sake Em, I'm getting pissing drenched. She's probably gonna be like, really pleased to see you?"_

_Katie pressed the doorbell insistently twice and Emily squeaked in shock and fear._

_This is it._

_A blurred shape moved behind the frosted glass of the door. It opened fully to reveal a tall thin woman with dark greying hair and a face Emily almost thought she'd forgotten until now. Thin lips opened slightly in silent shock, pairs of brown eyes met and for the first time in too long, Emily fought for what she wanted._

_Happiness, Naomi, Love, Emily._

"_Mum..."_


End file.
